From the Sector

Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals, is set to showcase key innovations in denim color and processing to the global denim community at Denim Première Vision Milan on May 21 and 22 and Denimsandjeans Vietnam on June 25 and 26.

Denim has remained a staple in both mainstream and high-end fashion, but traditional manufacturing methods are under increasing scrutiny for their intensive use of water, energy and chemicals.

Archroma will demonstrate an array of denim innovations at Denim Première Vision Milan and Denimsandjeans Vietnam, headed by DENIM HALO – a pretreatment and dyeing process developed to empower mills to produce highly sought-after distressed denim looks with a significantly reduced environmental footprint.

DENIM HALO combines DIRSOL® RD p, a new product for a special/specific yarn pretreatment, with Archroma’s indigo, sulfur or biosynthetic dyes to produce laser-friendly denim with outstanding contrast on intense black and indigo shades – without modifying standard dye recipes or set up. Additionally, the solution reduces yarn shrinkage and improves garment tensile strength, while also saving water and energy, avoiding the use of potassium permanganate, and reducing the need for caustic soda in sulfur dyeing.

Archroma will also be showcasing a brand-new capsule collection at the shows. The collection will present Black Denim that utilizes Archroma’s DENIM HALO and DIRESUL® EVOLUTION BLACK and made with premium fabric from Kipas Denim and finished using Jeanologia’ s innovative washing technology. The result is a refined, modern take on black denim—combining elevated design with responsible production practices.

Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, will present its groundbreaking solutions for textile and fashion brands at this year's China Interdye. Archroma’s showcase will emphasize its High IQ® Lasting Color assurance program and the PHOBOTEX® range of durable water-repellent finishes, underscoring the company’s dedication to providing low impact, durable, and long-lasting garment solutions.

As the largest specialized exhibition for textile dyes and chemicals, China Interdye 2025 offers a key platform for Archroma to present its latest advancements. This year’s focus is on innovative solutions that help brands achieve not only their sustainability goals but also meet the increasing demand for high-performance, long-lasting products in the textile and fashion industries.

“China continues to play a pivotal role in global textile production, with increasing demand for lower impact and high performance solutions,” said Christine Cai, Vice President of North Asia, Archroma Textile Effects. “We are excited to bring our High IQ® Lasting Color and PHOBOTEX® solutions to China Interdye, enabling brands to deliver garments that combine outstanding functionality, durability, and sustainability.”

Brilliant colors and long-lasting garments
Archroma is evolving its well-established High IQ® performance assurance program to include its innovative and sustainable intelligent textile effects.

As the first High IQ® program to be reintroduced, High IQ® Lasting Color incorporates Archroma’s most innovative color-retention technologies to ensure that garments stay looking new for longer—with bright shades that retain their intensity and dark shades that stay dark. Powered by specially selected AVITERA® SE and NOVACRON® dyes, High IQ® Lasting Color also helps mills and brands reduce their environmental footprint by using up to 50% less water and energy in processing.

PHOBOTEX® Range: Durable Water Repellency
Another highlight of the showcase at China Interdye will be the PHOBOTEX® range of durable water-repellent (DWR) finishes. With over a decade of innovation in fluorine-free “C0” technologies, PHOBOTEX® is at the forefront of the shift toward non-PFC DWR solutions. These advanced technologies provide long-lasting protection and comfort, incorporating renewable raw materials for a more sustainable approach.

Designed to meet current and future industry standards, the PHOBOTEX® range includes fluorine-free hydro polymers and bio-based options. It is easy to apply to any substrate, offering solutions for a variety of end uses. From everyday stain protection without compromising fabric feel, to extreme environment defenses, PHOBOTEX® ensures versatility. Additionally, it enhances mill productivity with excellent runnability, enabling faster, trouble-free production and consistent results.

Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, has taken sustainable and cost-effective cellulosic dyeing to the next level with the introduction of AVITERA® RASPBERRY SE.

Extending the AVITERA® SE GEN NEXT platform color of deep shades, the IP-protected brilliant trichromatic red empowers mills to achieve rich, dark and extra-dark shades while meeting the stringent fastness and sustainability requirements of leading brands and retailers. The newest element also offers significantly lower processing costs, with focus on reducing the recipe cost together with reliable right-first-time performance as well, “AVITERA® SE revolutionized the dyeing of cellulosic fibers and blends when it was introduced 15 years ago – setting a new benchmark with state-of-the-art application and fastness performance and advanced sustainability,” Dhirendra Gautam, VP Marketing, Archroma said.

“Our goal was always to offer a full range of attractive colors without limits. With AVITERA® SE RASPBERRY SE as our new trichromatic red, we are now enabling fashion and textile companies to produce differentiated end articles in consistent and long-lasting dark and extra-dark shades with the same cost-competitiveness as in pale and medium shades. This is another major step forward on our PLANET CONSCIOUS+ journey to economic and environmental sustainability for our industry,” he continued.

Substantial Savings on Challenging Dark Shades
Dyeing darker shades – such as black, navy and especially red – has traditionally been more challenging and costly than dyeing lighter colors. Achieving a deep, uniform color requires higher dye concentrations and more water and energy, and often also demands additional steps or re-dyeing. Dark shades, particularly red, also tend to fade more quickly than light colors, especially when exposed to sunlight and repeated home laundering.

With high-speed low-temperature wash-off, high process reliability and excellent reproducibility on dark and ultra-dark shades, the AVITERA® SE GENERATION NEXT dyestuffs allow mills to achieve water and energy savings of up to 50% compared to best available technology, and to slash CO2 emissions and effluent discharge by up to 50% as well. They can also increase mill output by up to 25% or more.

Monforts has completed the installation of a Baldwin TexCoat™ G4 digital spray unit at its Advanced Technology Center (ATC) in Mönchengladbach, Germany.

It has been successfully integrated into one of the two full-size Montex stenter lines at the ATC and is now available for full customer trials, especially for making full use of the latest advanced sustainable finishing chemistries supplied by Archroma.

BW Converting’s TexCoat G4 enables softeners, antimicrobials, durable water repellents, flame retardants and many other water-based chemicals to be precisely applied to textile surfaces, and in combination with industry-leading Montex stenters can reduce water, chemistry and energy consumption by up to 50% compared to traditional pad application processes.

Monforts is providing vital support to dyeing and finishing manufacturers in their development projects, successfully boosting the quality and performance of many new finished products while at the same time maximising productivity and resource utilisation

“Our ATC houses two full Montex stenter finishing lines engineered to accommodate an extremely diverse range of processes, in addition to a Thermex range for the continuous dyeing of denim and other woven fabrics, a full color kitchen and a number of lab-scale systems for smaller batch trials,” says Monforts Head of Sales for South-East Asia Hans Wroblowski. “It enables our customers to test their own textiles and technical fabrics under fully confidential, real production conditions and using the results from these trials we are also able to make recommendations for improving many fabric finishes.

“The new TexCoat installation will make an important contribution to what we can achieve and we are excited to be working together with Archroma and Baldwin to bring further transformative change to the dyeing and finishing space.”

“This partnership is already creating a buzz in the industry and we have several textile manufacturers lining up to take advantage of running production trials at the ATC,” adds Rick Stanford, vice-president of global business development for textiles at BW Converting. “Together we are in a position as never before to accelerate the pace of transformative change in the dyeing and finishing space that will result in significantly lower energy, chemicals and water consumption with increased productivity and higher quality.”

“With the extension of our long-standing partnership with Baldwin – now including the processing expertise and knowhow of Monforts – the development of new concepts for chemical functionalisation and coloration will be taken a step further,” says Michael Schuhmann, Global Market Segment Manager for Technical Textiles at Archroma Textile Effects. “Additionally, we can now demonstrate potential savings and performance levels under actual industrial conditions, providing mill partners with clear proof of efficiency without disrupting their production.”

Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, will showcase innovations for the denim industry at Sustainability Talks in Istanbul, Turkey and Denim Première Vision in Milan, Italy next month.

Specifically, Archroma will highlight its DENIM HALO pretreatment and dyeing process for laser-friendly, easily washable denim. It will also join its partners Kipaş Denim and Jeanologia to launch a joint hangtag for the upcoming Kipaş Denim Contra Denim collection, which is based on the DENIM HALO concept.

“Denim continues to be an incredibly exciting market segment, with brands and mills pushing the limits in terms of sustainability and aesthetics to give consumers the iconic look and feel of denim in a more environmentally conscious way,” Umberto De Vita, Archroma’s Market Segment Director - Denim, said. “Guided by our PLANET CONSCIOUS+ approach, we develop solutions that not only help our customers navigate the shift to cleaner chemistries and resource-saving processes, but improve their productivity and competitiveness too.”

Innovative DENIM HALO process
The DENIM HALO process combines Archroma’s new DIRSOL® RD special pretreatment with its DENISOL® indigo dyes, including an aniline-free formulation, or DIRESUL® sulfur black, sulfur blue or sulfur colors dyestuffs to achieve a ring-dyeing effect. This superficial dyeing creates laser-friendly denim for popular worn or distressed washdown effects while reducing yarn shrinkage and improving garment tensile strength.

Crucially, the new process also delivers a substantially reduced environmental footprint compared to industry-standard denim finishing. It avoids processes like manual hand scraping or potassium permanganate spraying and helps reduce caustic soda use in sulfur dyeing, which lowers the effluent load and improves weaving efficiency.

Low-impact Contra Denim collection
Archroma will also join Kipaş Denim, a leader in integrated textile production based in Turkey, and Jeanologia, a sustainable textile solutions company, to launch a hangtag program for the upcoming Kipaş Denim Contra Denim collection.

Based on DENIM HALO, the Contra Denim concept is a dyeing and finishing process that enables brands to create stunning and long-lasting distressed looks and design effects, such as intricate patterns, whiskering and fades, through cleaner processes that save water and energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The hangtag will enable partner brands to communicate these benefits to consumers at the point of sale, nurturing transparency and trust.

The Archroma team at Sustainability Talks 2024
Sustainability Talks is an intensive one-day event that emphasizes networking and collaboration to solve the textile industry’s toughest challenges through sustainable solutions (Archroma in Turkey at Booth 20 at the Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Conference Center for Sustainability Talks on December 3, 2024).

Archroma at Denim Première Vision 2024
Denim Première Vision is bringing the global denim community to Milan, Italy in December to explore denim trends, markets and culture through the lens of eco-responsibility. Meet our experts Umberto De Vita and Julio Perales to learn more about our denim solutions. (Archroma in Milan at Booth C14 at Superstudio Più for Denim Première Vision on December 4-5, 2024).

Utilizing renewable materials* and formaldehyde-free chemistries, the industry-first Archroma NTR Printing System combines newly created pigment black and customized auxiliaries for enhanced sustainability, comfort and durability
 
Archroma, a company in specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, introduced the NTR Printing System to make bio-based pigment printing commercially possible for the first time. Based on renewable raw materials and designed for safer chemistry, it helps apparel and textile brands reduce their environmental footprint while producing brilliant black shades on garments that deliver both comfort and durability.

Bio-based pigment printing is an emerging technology that is attracting major interest from brands that want to use pigments derived from natural sources, such as plants, in the production of environmentally conscious textiles. Until now, however, bio-based pigments have not delivered color fastness that is comparable to synthetic pigments, and color quality and production performance have not been sufficient to support commercial-scale production.

Archroma’s NTR Printing System is the first to utilize renewable feedstock across pigment dispersion, binder and fixing agent. Crucially, it ensures good wet-rubbing and dry-rubbing fastness, with outstanding softness on all kinds of fabrics. Furthermore, it is suitable for most popular application technologies, including printing, coating and continuous pigment dyeing, with outstanding runnability for production efficiency.

“These properties make the new NTR Printing System ideal for the highly competitive denim market, where sustainability, comfort and durability are important; for knits, where very soft handfeel is essential; and on babywear, where both exceptional softness and safety are required,” Joaquin Femat, Market Segment Director for Printing, Archroma, said.

The result of more than two years of research and development, the innovative new NTR Printing System required Archroma to create customized binding and fixing agents to ensure fastness for the pigment black dispersion comparable to current petroleum-based printing systems. All three printing elements are partially based on renewable feedstock to reduce reliance on non-renewable petrochemicals. Archroma also developed the new system to avoid toxic input streams and impurities, including formaldehyde. Two successful bulk trials were conducted with Textprint S. A. and Jeanologia.

The NTR printing system comprises the following highly efficient and robust printing elements:

• PRINTOFIX® BLACK NTR-TF: A non-gelling pigment black with 79% renewable carbon content*, designed for use in textile applications with no impact on fastness levels.
• HELIZARIN® NTR-SS: A formaldehyde-free super-soft binder with 40% renewable carbon content, designed to ensure very good overall fastness levels.
• LUPRINTOL® FIXING AGENT NTR-HF: A formaldehyde-free fixing agent with 40% renewable carbon content**, designed for high wet fastness in rubbing and laundry.

All three elements are currently being evaluated for compliance with globally accepted standards like bluesign®, the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC). The system also supports major industry restricted substances list (RSL) requirements.

Archroma, a leader in specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, honed its vision of the future of the apparel and textile industry with the announcement of “PLANET CONSCIOUS+”, a roadmap designed to support brands and mills to chart their sustainability journey.

“Over the past decade, Archroma has been on a mission to lead the textile industry towards a more sustainable future. But the world’s challenges are escalating – from climate change to economic and geopolitical instability. We believe that the time is right for us to realign our vision to guide the next phase of our development. ‘PLANET CONSCIOUS+’ encapsulates both our responsibility and our potential as a company that touches and colors people’s lives every day, all around the world,” Mark Garrett, Group CEO, Archroma, said.

“PLANET CONSCIOUS+” has six dimensions, the first four of which have been rolled out over the past few months:

• SUPER SYSTEMS+: Powerful end-to-end systems that combine processing solutions and intelligent effects, SUPER SYSTEMS+ deliver measurable environmental impact, more durable colors and effects, and cleaner chemistry as compared to the current market offering. This allows brands and mills to select the impact they want to achieve in line with their sustainability goals.
• SAFE EDGE+: Groundbreaking initiative represents a major commitment to providing a roadmap for compliance and cleaner chemistries for use in the textile industry by combining The Safe Edge platform with Foundation+. Foundation+, Archroma’s beyond-compliance portfolio, is a curated selection of Archroma products that utilize innovative technologies to either design out hazardous or regulated substances or reduce them by more than 95% compared to the current industry standard limits.
• ONE WAY+: Combining Archroma’s One Way Impact Calculator, a world-first online tool for sustainable value chain mapping, with its expert-led Sustainability Improvement Program (SIP), ONE WAY+ helps mills and brands overcome their specific challenges with products and tools that offers the highest operational excellence and productivity, achieves savings of resources such as water, energy, and creates differentiation with value-added end-products.
• COLOR MANAGEMENT+: An advanced color design and development solution, COLOR MANAGEMENT+ helps mills and brands work together for improved sustainability. It incorporates the industry’s largest off-the-shelf color atlas selection alongside color standards created with Archroma’s SUPER SYSTEMS+ for reduced environmental impact and consistent and accurate color reproduction.

The remaining two pillars of “PLANET CONSCIOUS+” are being introduced today to underscore that innovation and transparency are the cornerstones of the Archroma way of working.

• INNOVATION+: Archroma brings together science, our technological expertise and in-depth market, customer, and regulatory knowledge to create groundbreaking solutions that have a positive environmental impact. To accelerate the shift to a circular economy and help manufacturers use resources more efficiently, Archroma’s research and development teams across Americas, Asia and Europe focus on innovating for cleaner chemistry and durable effects.
• COMMUNICATION+: By providing authentic, fact-based information to all stakeholders, Archroma helps improve transparency across the value chain. This enables mills and brands to communicate their sustainability goals and achievements with confidence and navigate issues like regulatory complexity and consumer skepticism.

Archroma launched SAFE EDGE+ to help mills and brands deliver supply chain transparency, accelerate time to market and stay ahead of evolving textile industry regulations.

The Safe Edge by Archroma online platform was launched in 2021 and was designed to allow brands, retailers and manufacturers to verify with just a few clicks the regulatory and compliance status of Archroma products, including regulations, ecotoxicological information, certifications, and expert notes. Foundation+, Archroma’s beyond compliant portfolio, is a curated selection of Archroma products that utilizes innovative technologies that may contain hazardous or regulated substances that have been designed out or reduced by more than 95% as compared to the current industry standard limits. It offers safer and more sustainable alternatives that help manufacturers, brands and retailers stay ahead of evolving regulations.

SAFE EDGE+ sits alongside other specialist tools and technologies from Archroma, including its SUPER SYSTEMS+ suite of fiber-specific solutions and intelligent effects, and ONE WAY+ - Archroma’s ONE WAY Impact Calculator combined with Sustainability Improvement Program.

Archroma is bringing its latest “Planet Conscious+” innovations to FEBRATEX 2024 in Brazil with the aim to empower the region’s textile mills and brands to lead the industry shift to sustainability.

SUPER SYSTEMS+ are end-to-end systems that combine fiber-specific processing solutions and intelligent effects. Drawing on the industry’s broadest product portfolio, the SUPER SYSTEMS+ suite encompasses wet processing solutions that deliver measurable environmental impact from sizing to finishing; durable colors and functional effects that add value and longevity to the end product; and cleaner chemistries that eliminate harmful or regulated substances.

Textile industry professionals will be able to explore Archroma’s “PLANET CONSCIOUS+” vision at FEBRATEX 2024 and discover SUPER SYSTEMS+ technologies such as Archroma’s DENIM HALO, a newly launched concept for denim production that is both eco-friendly and simple, aniline-free* DENISOL® PURE INDIGO 30 LIQ pre-reduced indigo, and the patented EarthColors® technology that creates high-performance bio waste-based dyes from non-edible food and agricultural waste. Archroma is also showcasing ULTRATEX® STS-U, a compatible hydrophilic silicone softener for cotton and cotton blended knits with great running stability, Siligen® EH1, a biomass-based silicone softener that has great moisture management and delivers a smooth soft touch, AVITERA® SE GENERATION NEXT for cellulosic fibers and blends that enables significant resource savings, chlorine fastness and improved cost-to-performance ratio for dark and extra-dark shades, and ERIOPON® E3-SAVE all-in-one auxiliary.

Archroma is collaborating with Zydat Inc. to bring the complete Color Atlas by Archroma® color library to the Vivid Color Library Management (CLM) color-matching platform for faster and more accurate inkjet digital printing of fashion and textiles

Archroma’s Color Atlas is the textile industry’s largest library of engineered color standards, with more than 5,760 color references formulated to comply with leading eco-standards and deliver consistent and accurate color reproduction.

With these colors available within Vivid CLM’s online color palette optimization and correction tools, designers can more quickly and easily create and share their color palettes for more accurate inkjet printing. This can reduce the burden of pre-production color proofing and streamline the color management process to help deliver high-quality printed fabric and apparel in a fast and economical way.

Vivid CLM was launched by Zydat in February 2024. It offers a unique and designer-oriented solution to color matching with a proprietary algorithm that translates complex spectral data into a Red-Green-Blue workflow and allows the user to print, scan and check the color, with automatic adjustments to improve accuracy. The solution’s palette storage system allows colorists to share palettes across the ecosystem.

In addition to accessing all of the 5,760 colors in the Archroma Color Atlas portfolio as digital standards within Vivid CLM, users of the software may also choose to refer to Archroma’s physical color library in multiple formats. They can also tap into Archroma’s expertise around the world for technical support with sustainable coloration systems and achievability on alternate substrates.

The Color Atlas by Archroma® is part of the Archroma Color Management+ design and development solution for more sustainable textiles and fashion through fast color selection and creation, consistent and accurate color reproduction, and reduced environmental impact.