YKK has received top honors at the ISPO Textrends Awards for its latest circular innovations. The judges named the company’s 3D Composite Puller the Best Product in the Accessories category. They also placed the NATULON Plus Fiber Sourced zipper with Recycled PET Open Parts among the Top 5 products. ISPO Textrends runs twice a year alongside the ISPO trade show and highlights the most advanced performance textiles, components, and apparel.
3D Composite Puller Wins Best Product
The 3D Composite Puller combines YKK’s zipper expertise with Variloom’s on-demand 3D printing technology. The puller uses Variloom’s recyclable bio-based TPU and a 3D printing method that removes the need for traditional molds and minimum order quantities. As a result, brands gain new freedom to customize shape, texture, attachment style, color, and logo. These design options are often difficult or impossible to achieve with standard injection molding.
NATULON Plus Fiber Sourced Earns Top 5 Placement
The NATULON Plus Fiber Sourced zipper uses recycled PET from discarded clothing and textile waste. The recycled fiber forms both the tape and the elements, creating a mono-material structure. The chain and its Open Parts are made entirely from recycled PET sourced from fiber. YKK also uses recycled zinc for the slider, ensuring durability and easy separation during garment preprocessing. This approach supports circularity by enabling long-term use and future recycling.
By turning textile waste into new components, the NATULON Plus Fiber Sourced zipper helps reduce environmental impact and supports the growing textile-to-textile recycling ecosystem. With less than 1 percent of global clothing recycled into new garments, the product reflects YKK’s commitment to advancing circular design.
Both awarded products are concept items created for ISPO Textrends and remain under development. The company has not yet set a commercialization timeline.
YKK Comment on the Recognition
Terry Tsukumo, Senior Vice President of YKK’s Product Strategy Division, noted that the awards highlight the company’s ongoing drive for innovation. He added that YKK continues to develop solutions that improve performance while addressing the environmental challenges facing the textile industry.
