“We don’t believe better ways of working should be guarded. We believe they should be shared, tested and improved. Our Impact Report is about passing on what we’ve learned, because good ideas are meant to travel.” – Sanjeev Bahl, CEO, SAITEX
Regarded by Bloomberg as the “Cleanest Denim Factory in the World,” SAITEX today releases its 2025 Impact Report. Rather than presenting sustainability goals, the report documents operational metrics, engineering decisions, manufacturing systems, and lessons learned.
Download the 2025 SAITEX Impact Report: HERE
Across its vertically integrated operations in Vietnam and the United States, SAITEX (www.sai-tex.com) has continuously redesigned apparel manufacturing by advancing cleaner chemistry, integrating renewable energy, developing circular material systems, expanding digital product intelligence and embedding environmental performance into everyday manufacturing decisions. The company’s latest report shows how shared knowledge can accelerate innovation across apparel manufacturing, inspire new approaches and drive responsible production.
Inside the Report:
The 2025 Impact Report captures the continued evolution of SAITEX’s integrated approach to responsible manufacturing.
Among its key findings:
- The SAITEX Fabric Mill increased production by 22% while reducing electricity consumption per meter by 22%, greenhouse gas emissions per meter by 20%, water consumption per meter by 9%, and waste generation per meter by approximately 25%. These improvements demonstrate continued gains in manufacturing efficiency while supporting increased production.
- Approximately 85% of SAITEX’s denim fabric production aligns with the chemistry requirements for Cradle to Cradle Certified® Material Health Gold and bluesign®, reflecting long-term investment in advanced chemical management and safer manufacturing inputs.
- Through Made2Flow, SAITEX provides product-level Life Cycle Assessment data enabling Digital Product Passport (DPP) creation across its product portfolio, giving brands greater visibility into the environmental profile of the materials and garments they source.
Transparency Beyond the Metrics:
Rather than presenting only successes, the 2025 Impact Report also documents where progress fell short of expectations and the operational realities shaping manufacturing today.
- The report openly details delays to several renewable energy and infrastructure projects, including planned solar installations and the rollout of closed-loop water systems. These timelines shifted due to construction requirements, permitting processes, infrastructure limitations and the continued lack of economically viable battery storage and direct renewable energy access in Vietnam, highlighting many of the external barriers manufacturers continue to face.
- The report also illustrates how manufacturing performance is increasingly influenced by decisions made before production even begins. During 2025, higher demand for garment-dyed products, vintage washes and heavier-weight fabrics increased water and steam consumption, demonstrating how product design and sourcing choices directly affect factory environmental performance.
- Similarly, production volumes for Cradle to Cradle Certified® Material Health Gold and bluesign®-aligned fabrics declined as customer demand shifted, not because manufacturing capability changed. At the same time, the share of Better Cotton (BCI) used at the SAITEX Fabric Mill increased from 9% to 21% in response to customer purchasing decisions, moving the company further from its long-term objective of maximizing regenerative, organic and recycled fibers. The report uses these examples to reinforce that many of the industry’s next environmental gains will require closer collaboration between brands and manufacturers.
Knowledge That Scales:A central theme throughout SAITEX’s 2025 Impact Report is the belief that manufacturing knowledge should be shared, to help accelerate progress across the fashion industry and beyond.
Examples include:
- During 2025, SAITEX expanded its commitment to industry knowledge-sharing through To the Finish Line, an initiative supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (GIZ). As one of 18 subject matter experts, the company delivered three environmental management training sessions and contributed an article to To Walk the Talk – Manufacturer Voices: Peer Learning for Environmental Performance. Together, these initiatives reached more than 2,100 participants representing 790 manufacturing facilities, providing practical guidance on environmental management and operational best practices.
- During 2025, SAITEX was also selected to participate in ZDHC’s Supplier to Zero pilot program. The collaboration will be featured as a best-practice case study in the 2026 ZDHC Smart Sourcing Handbook, highlighting SAITEX’s collaborative approach to advancing chemical management across the apparel supply chain.
- During 2025, SAITEX published its 90/10 Onshoring Model white paper, proposing a hybrid manufacturing framework designed to rebuild U.S. manufacturing jobs while maintaining global cost competitiveness. The model keeps 90% of production in Vietnam and 10% in Los Angeles, supported by targeted policy incentives that can strengthen supply chain resilience, reduce lead times and expand domestic employment. Designed for industries with modular production systems, the framework could extend beyond apparel to sectors including consumer products, automotive parts, electronics, home goods and medical products.
Continuous Improvement as an Operating Principle:
The report also illustrates how collaboration with brand partners continues to strengthen SAITEX’s manufacturing platform.
Following a PFAS-focused audit by Inditex, none were discovered at SAITEX. The team did identify an opportunity to replace one approved chemistry with an equivalent alternative from Inditex’s preferred chemical list. The same was implemented across all facility production-not just Inditex orders.
Throughout the report, SAITEX documents the projects and innovations shaping its manufacturing system, offering a practical view of how it continues to evolve through testing, measurement and refinement.
Building the Next Generation of Apparel Manufacturing:
SAITEX continues investing in renewable energy, circular manufacturing, advanced chemistry, Life Cycle Assessments, Digital Product Passports and product-level environmental intelligence while working toward sourcing 100% renewable electricity for apparel manufacturing by the end of 2028.
SAITEX believes the next generation of manufacturing will be built not by individual factories working alone, but by an industry willing to openly share the systems, data and lessons.