Aymara

Ambition

The ambition of Aymara is to put the climate impact of clothing manufacturing on the agenda in the fashion industry.

Aymara will reduce the climate impact of its own operations and throughout the entire value chain as much as possible. This will be done in addition to the initiatives already taken within environment and occupational health and safety, that Aymara implements in collaboration with its main manufacturer in Bolivia. Aymara's main manufacturer supplies 95% of our total production, which covers the entire chain of production from the raw fibers to the finished product.

The climate impact of Aymara is mainly from the following three areas:

1. Energy used in the manufacturing process from the raw fibers to the finish goods.
2. Transportation of raw fibers from the countryside in Bolibia to the manufacturer in Bolivia's Capital, La Paz; Transportation of finished goods to Aymara in Denmark; and transportation of these goods to shops carrying Aymara.

3. Methane emission from the lama animal - the source og the fibers.

Aymara has signed the UN Global Compact Initiative

and has already implemented several initiatives to reduce the climate impact of its operations.

Energy consumption in production

Aymara's main manufacturer in Bolivia uses natural gas to make heat and electricity to run all the machines. Although natural gas is not a renewable energy and does emit CO2, it has a much lower emission of CO2 than other fossil fuels like diesel or coal that are often used to make heat in industries. The electricity comes from the Bolivian electricity grid, which is 40% hydro and 60% thermal (mainly natural gas), two sources for electricity that Bolivia possesses in abundant quantities. Compared to most textile industries in the world, particular the Chinese, the energy sources used to manufacture Aymara have a low climate impact. However, that does not mean that nothing can be done to reduce the climate impact further.

Aymara and the manufacturer have had experts review the production and identify a number of energy efficiency actions that can reduce the energy consumption. Some steps have already been implemented and others are planned

for 2011-2012, for details please see below.

Further to using energy more efficient, Aymara and the manufacturer will investigate the possibility of switching from natural gas to solar heating, thus reducing the climate impact much further. With a location near the equator at 4000 meters of altitude there should be good potential for replacing all the natural gas with zero emission solar energy.

Transportation of finished products

The fashion industry works with very tight deadlines making it impossible to transport goods by sea. Production in Bolivia is for Aymara a conscious choice in order to create growth opportunities for a country struggling with poverty and unemployment. Therefore transportation of finished goods - in contrast to the transportation of raw materials - has to be done by air. Today all goods are shipped to the main warehouse in Denmark, but in order to minimize transportation needs,

work is under way to send goods directly to the individual markets.

Raw Material Production

Aymara and its main manufacturer have in March 2011 started a long-term project initiative in 2010/2011, which will focus on improving the situation of the shepherds who supply the raw fibres. The goal is to achieve an organic and fair trade certification of the wool. The project will among other things look at which initiatives and advice are needed in order to improve farmers' earnings and working conditions. In this context, the emission of methane gases from lamas digestion will be analyzed and it will be investigated whether there can be actions taken that can either reduce methane emissions, and whether the lama excrement can be used for energy purposes. The transportation of wool from the countryside to the manufacturer in the city will be examined as well as the climate impact of this transportation and how it can be reduced.

Quantifying and disclosing CO2 footprint
Aymara plans to measure the CO2 footprint of its entire value chain in order to disclose it to the public as a total figure of CO2 emission and the CO2 emission of each piece of garment so that the consumer is made aware of the CO2 footprint of a purchase of an Aymara piece. As more fashion firms do the same the consumer will further be able to make an informed choice when shopping.

Actions already implemented at the main manufacturer in Bolivia

In May 2009 a combustion gas monitoring on boilers was performed in order to reduce the natural gas consumption.
Installation of a water treatment plant, which is able to recover and reuse up to 70% of the water used in the processes.
New water-saving toilets have been installed in the entire factory.

Future planned actions at the main manufacturer in Bolivia

Combustion gas monitoring will be performed every year to keep gas consumption as low as possible.
Isolation of steam ducts in order to save energy.
Upgrade of heat transfer units to improve efficiency in dryer.
Installation of heat transfer unit into five bowls of scouring train to improve energy saving by returning condensed water.
Installation of capacitor banks in order to reduce electricity consumption.
Various other electricity improvements to reduce energy consumption based on a complete audit of all electrical systems.

Future actions at the manufacturer in Bolivia to be further analysed and considered

Solar heating to replace gas as energy source for heat.
Solar power to replace grid electricity will be considered when the solar power technology has improved.