Known for its soft fabrications and long-lasting styles, J. America (asi/62977) is bringing some sustainability to the mix with new unisex apparel collections.

“We have previewed the new styles with some of our major customers and at recent trade events,” said Steve Zimmerman, vice president of sales. “The response to our new offering has been tremendous, and we continue to maintain the same J. America quality we have been known for in the industry.”

J. America’s (asi/62977) Comfort Dye collection is made with 80% Better Cotton Initiative yarns.

The supplier’s Better Than Basic midweight fleece collection comes in five colors and features a hooded pullover (8720) and crew neck (8721) made from 55% cotton, 25% polyester and 20% recycled polyester yarns – derived from plastic bottles and other plastic waste.

America’s midweight Comfort Dye collection is constructed from 80% Better Cotton Initiative cotton yarns and 20% polyester. The styles feature a pigment dye wash and come in nine colors. Styles in the collection include a pullover fleece hood (8730), crew neck (8731) and quarter-zip (8732).

Better Cotton is a cotton certifier and sustainability initiative that promotes better standards in cotton farming. According to its 2022-23 annual report, the Better Cotton program reached over 2.8 million cotton farmers in 22 countries – accounting for 22% of global cotton production. Better Cotton has more than 2,500 members, including promotional products suppliers Threadfast Apparel (asi/91163) and Fruit of the Loom (asi/84257). Shahi, a factory in India that Top 40 supplier SanMar (asi/84863) partners with, is also a Better Cotton member. Better Cotton noted in its annual report that nonmember users of the Better Cotton platform exceeded 10,000 for the first time, reaching more than 11,000 companies.

Apparel suppliers in the promotional products industry have been adding more sustainable styles in recent years. In September, BELLA + CANVAS (asi/39590) launched an EcoMax tee made from 100% recycled materials – a combination of pre-consumer cotton scraps and recycled polyester from post-consumer PET plastic bottles.

In 2020, SanMar launched its District Re-Tee made of 100% recycled cotton and recycled polyester. Everywhere Apparel (asi/53059) uses a closed-loop production system to create basics made from 100% recycled cotton. Recover Brands, a division of NG Labs, which also owns Boxercraft (asi/41325), offers apparel made from 100% recycled polyester and cotton. Fairweather Johnson, a private-label brand available through Single PO Solutions (asi/87456), also has basics in a range of colors made from a mix of recycled cotton and recycled polyester.

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