The largest zipper manufacturer is pivoting to more sustainable materials.
YKK announced last week that it will use only low-carbon aluminum as the source for all aluminum alloy wire procured for zippers. The shift is made possible through YKK’s agreement with aluminum material manufacturers Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. and Sumitomo Electric Toyama Co., Ltd.
Traditional aluminum smelting process requires a large quantity of electricity and emits different amounts of carbon dioxide depending on the power source used. YKK said the emissions of the low-carbon aluminum to be used for this initiative will be less than 4 metric tons of CO₂ per ton of aluminum ingots produced, as it uses renewable energy as the power source.
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This significantly reduces CO₂ emissions compared to using electricity generated from fossil fuels such as thermal power.
Adopting the low-carbon alternative is part of YKK’s initiative to convert all aluminum alloy zipper items to sustainable products. The company began purchasing low-carbon aluminum alloy wires in FY 2024 and has gradually expanded their application as part of a greater shift to more low impact components. YKK previous introduced recycled materials and plant-based materials in textile materials for zippers.
YKK has established targets in connection to five themes—climate change, material resources, water resources, chemical management, and respect people. The company’s goal is to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.
To address climate change, YKK is promoting initiatives to slash its greenhouse gas emissions within the company and throughout its supply chain by 90 percent for Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions compared to FY 2018 levels. Adopting low-carbon aluminum as material for zippers is one of YKK’s initiatives to achieve the reduction target for Scope 3 emissions.
“Through these efforts, we aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to climate change mitigation by revamping our product lineup, while taking advantage of aluminum’s features—its light weight and silver color that is nickel-free and plating-free—and focus on developing products which can be widely used in apparel and luggage applications,” said Terry Tsukumo, VP, product strategy division, global sales headquarters, YKK Corporation.
