Walmart Collaborates With Unspun On 3D Fabric Weaving Technology

(RTTNews) - Walmart (WMT), Thursday announced a pilot project with unspun, a fashion tech company using the world's first 3D weaving technology.

According to Walmart, the collaboration, if successful, could help reduce the environmental impact of garment production, offer a more sustainable process for meeting apparel demand and support the companies' shared commitment to shift more textile manufacturing back to the U.S.

"At Walmart, we are laser-focused on bringing innovation to our supply chain to better serve our customers and solve industry challenges, and unspun has the potential to do just that," said Andrea Albright, executive vice president, Sourcing, Walmart. "The technology we are piloting with unspun has the potential to unlock more skilled job creation in the U.S., meet consumer demand for locally made garments and deliver on our commitment for greater transparency and sustainability in our apparel supply chain."

The project directly addresses concerns about waste in the apparel, driven primarily by fabric loss from traditional flat weaving, cutting and garment assembly, and from discarded extra inventory built to meet growing consumer demand and fashion trends. These issues, combined with the emissions generated from transporting garments and fabrics supplied offshore, have created demand for more sustainable apparel manufacturing supply chain solutions.