YKK® to spotlight detachable button and rivet system at Kingpins

YKK and denim are so interconnected you can’t imagine a pair of jeans without zippers and fasteners. At this year's Kingpins, the Japanese company will be showcasing its first circular trim combination, the monomaterial detachable button and rivet system.

Circularity is vital for the future of the denim industry, as is ensuring that brands can easily recycle their garments. YKK has designed an innovative monomaterial detachable button and rivet system that allows easy detachment of the trims from the garment during the recycling process with a compact detachment machine which will be supplied to recycling stations.

The new product simplifies the removal of the metal trims, which in turn, reduces the metal trim-based fabric waste to zero. The YKK product also doesn't require any special machinery for attachment and allows manufacturers to keep using their current system.

YKK has a long tradition of placing sustainability at the heart of its innovations, and the most important feature of the detachable button is up to 100 percent recyclability after detachment, which contributes to full circularity by closing the loop completely.

Recycling of metal accessories has always been a problem and through studies on the screw tack button, YKK realised that there was no solution for the rivet and detachable button that was not an easily applicable solution for big-scale orders.

“We have developed a detachable button and rivet in order to both respond to big-scale orders and to solve the rivet issue, which creates a big problem," explains YKK. “This is in parallel with Ellen MacArthur Foundation, one of the leading organisations in circularity, which also emphasised the issue of finding detachable solutions for metal accessories to its members and sectors, especially rivet. We have made this detachable button and rivet system in response to the demand of the market.”

YKK to highlight sustainable innovations at Kingpins, Amsterdam

Denim trade fair Kingpins requires all exhibitors to meet or exceed its set standards in environment and chemical usage as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) standards programme. YKK surpasses the standards with its sustainable and eco-friendly collection, emphasising the company’s commitment to ethical manufacturing.

At this year’s show, YKK will also be showcasing its AcroPlating, an eco-friendly finish for snap and buttons that is available in various colour shades. The AcroPlating technology significantly reduces the environmental impacts of metal plating, including a reduction in the use of chemical consumption, GHG emissions, sludge generation, thermal energy and water use, in comparison to conventional processes.