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09.06.2023

Archroma and COLOURizd™ collaborate to make fashion more sustainable

Archroma, a leader in specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, is teaming up with COLOURizd™, an innovator specializing in sustainable textile dyeing technologies, to set a new standard for the eco-friendlier production of sustainable textiles.

The new collaboration will enable fabric mills and brands to combine Archroma pigment coloration solutions with the COLOURizd™ QuantumCOLOUR™ yarn-coloring technology to produce high-quality, high-performance textiles with maximum consumer appeal and minimal environmental impact.

Conventional fiber-reactive methods of dyeing cellulosic and synthetic yarns are multi-step resource-intensive processes that use up to 95 liters of water per kilograms of colored yarn and discharge approximately 94 liters of effluent.

Archroma, a leader in specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, is teaming up with COLOURizd™, an innovator specializing in sustainable textile dyeing technologies, to set a new standard for the eco-friendlier production of sustainable textiles.

The new collaboration will enable fabric mills and brands to combine Archroma pigment coloration solutions with the COLOURizd™ QuantumCOLOUR™ yarn-coloring technology to produce high-quality, high-performance textiles with maximum consumer appeal and minimal environmental impact.

Conventional fiber-reactive methods of dyeing cellulosic and synthetic yarns are multi-step resource-intensive processes that use up to 95 liters of water per kilograms of colored yarn and discharge approximately 94 liters of effluent.

In contrast, the innovative QuantumCOLOUR™ process injects pigment and a binder directly into the yarn, using only 0.95 liters of water per kilograms of colored yarn while producing zero effluent. This represents an unprecedented reduction of 98% in water consumption alongside zero wastewater discharge, zero discharge of harmful chemicals, 73% decrease in carbon footprint and 50% reduction in energy use.*

With Archroma, textile manufacturers and apparel brands can add further value to the QuantumCOLOUR™ process with tailor-made system solutions, including JUST COLOR. This formaldehyde-free** pigment coloration system is based on Archroma’s revolutionary Printofix® pigment dispersions and Helizarin® binders to deliver exceptionally soft fabrics with high fastness and durability, while also enabling energy and chemical savings and higher productivity.

* As tested by Peterson Control Union
** Below limits of detection according to industry standard test methods

Source:

Archroma

Photo: CHT
26.05.2023

BEZAKTIV ONE: New Reactive dyes range by CHT

  • Reactive dyes for water and energy saving dye processes with significantly shortened process time

BEZAKTIV ONE covers a broad color spectrum with tinctorial very strong dyes. This enables a cost-efficient dye process with significantly less dye and salt. The excellent wash-off behavior allows short rinse cycles at lower temperatures and therefore offers further ecological and economic advantages. The dyes are particularly suitable for durable textiles due to their good multiple wash fastness.

Cellulosic fibers are often dyed with reactive dyes, as these are commercially available in a wide range of colors that result in dyeings with high wash fastness. However, reactive dyeings require a lot of water due to the necessary rinsing processes. Due to increased ecological requirements, the development of energy and water saving processes is not just a trend, but rather a core prerequisite for new dyes.

A minimal number of rinsing baths and generally lower temperatures for dye exhaust, rinsing and soaping contribute to an overall efficient water and energy saving dyeing processes.

  • Reactive dyes for water and energy saving dye processes with significantly shortened process time

BEZAKTIV ONE covers a broad color spectrum with tinctorial very strong dyes. This enables a cost-efficient dye process with significantly less dye and salt. The excellent wash-off behavior allows short rinse cycles at lower temperatures and therefore offers further ecological and economic advantages. The dyes are particularly suitable for durable textiles due to their good multiple wash fastness.

Cellulosic fibers are often dyed with reactive dyes, as these are commercially available in a wide range of colors that result in dyeings with high wash fastness. However, reactive dyeings require a lot of water due to the necessary rinsing processes. Due to increased ecological requirements, the development of energy and water saving processes is not just a trend, but rather a core prerequisite for new dyes.

A minimal number of rinsing baths and generally lower temperatures for dye exhaust, rinsing and soaping contribute to an overall efficient water and energy saving dyeing processes.

BEZAKTIV ONE dyes can be dyed, rinsed and soaped between 40 and 60 °C. Therefore, the BEZAKTIV ONE exhaust dyeing process is significantly shorter compared to conventional reactive dyeing processes, where temperatures between 60 and 98 °C are required. This advantage means savings in process time and higher productivity for the textile dyer.

The advantages become particularly clear when dyeing medium to dark shades with the BEZAKTIV ONE process. Due to the high fixation level in combination with good color build-up dark shades can be matched with lower dye concentrations of BEZAKTIV ONE than with conventional bifunctional reactive dyes. The addition of the auxiliary COTOBLANC SEL in the second soap bath has an additional positive effect, so that a washing process with low water and energy consumption generates excellent wet fastness properties on the textile.

09.11.2021

Alchemie Technology asks fashion industry to reduce emissions

Alchemie Technology, an innovator of low energy, waterless, textile dyeing and finishing technology, is calling on COP26 leaders to support the global fashion industry in the adoption of new manufacturing technology, which will dramatically reduce carbon emissions and fashion’s impact on climate change.

While the fashion industry is one of the most polluting on the planet, second only to oil and gas, and greenhouse gas emissions from textile dyeing at around 3% of global emissions outweigh that of all international flights and maritime shipping combined, it is an industry that can also reduce CO2 emissions the fastest, just by changing the way it dyes fabrics.  

Alchemie Technology, an innovator of low energy, waterless, textile dyeing and finishing technology, is calling on COP26 leaders to support the global fashion industry in the adoption of new manufacturing technology, which will dramatically reduce carbon emissions and fashion’s impact on climate change.

While the fashion industry is one of the most polluting on the planet, second only to oil and gas, and greenhouse gas emissions from textile dyeing at around 3% of global emissions outweigh that of all international flights and maritime shipping combined, it is an industry that can also reduce CO2 emissions the fastest, just by changing the way it dyes fabrics.  

Fabric dyeing is the most polluting part of fashion and activewear manufacturing, involving industrial scale dye baths and huge amounts of dye chemicals, steam, electrical power, and consequent high CO2 emissions.  Repeated washing of the dyed fabric, required to remove dye residue, is responsible for 20% of the world’s wastewater pollution and excess dye is discharged into waterways, affecting the health of some of the world’s poorest communities. In more regulated areas, water pollution is reduced through reliance on energy intensive water treatment plants.

However, an environmental step change can be achieved by adopting new digital technology that can dye fabrics with an 85% reduction in energy consumption and a dramatic 95% reduction of the 1.3 trillion litres of water currently used by the industry each year.

For example, dyeing one polyester shirt using current methods generates 4.5 litres of wastewater and produces 0.17 Kg of CO2, compared to low energy digital technology, which uses less than 0.2 litres of water and reduces carbon emissions to 0.03 Kg.  Multiply these numbers by the billions of garments dyed each year and the scale of the environmental problem, if nothing changes, is clear to see. Equally, the amount by which the textile industry can improve its carbon footprint is dramatic and can be done quickly if action is taken now.

Source:

Alchemie Technology Ltd

(c) Alchemie Technology
03.11.2021

COPS26: Governments support critical to help fashion industry reduce emissions the fastest

  • Alchemie Technology asks world leaders to cut energy and CO2 emissions from global fashion industry

Alchemie Technology, innovator of low energy, waterless, textile dyeing and finishing technology, is calling on COP26 leaders to support the global fashion industry in the adoption of new manufacturing technology, which will dramatically reduce carbon emissions and fashion’s impact on climate change.

While the fashion industry is one of the most polluting on the planet, second only to oil and gas, and greenhouse gas emissions from textile dyeing at around 3% of global emissions outweigh that of all international flights and maritime shipping combined, it is an industry that can also reduce CO2 emissions the fastest, just by changing the way it dyes fabrics.  

  • Alchemie Technology asks world leaders to cut energy and CO2 emissions from global fashion industry

Alchemie Technology, innovator of low energy, waterless, textile dyeing and finishing technology, is calling on COP26 leaders to support the global fashion industry in the adoption of new manufacturing technology, which will dramatically reduce carbon emissions and fashion’s impact on climate change.

While the fashion industry is one of the most polluting on the planet, second only to oil and gas, and greenhouse gas emissions from textile dyeing at around 3% of global emissions outweigh that of all international flights and maritime shipping combined, it is an industry that can also reduce CO2 emissions the fastest, just by changing the way it dyes fabrics.  

Fabric dyeing is the most polluting part of fashion and activewear manufacturing, involving industrial scale dye baths and huge amounts of dye chemicals, steam, electrical power, and consequent high CO2 emissions.  Repeated washing of the dyed fabric, required to remove dye residue, is responsible for 20% of the world’s wastewater pollution and excess dye is discharged into waterways, affecting the health of some of the world’s poorest communities. In more regulated areas, water pollution is reduced through reliance on energy intensive water treatment plants.

However, an environmental step change can be achieved by adopting new digital technology that can dye fabrics with an 85% reduction in energy consumption and a dramatic 95% reduction of the 1.3 trillion litres of water currently used by the industry each year.

For example, dyeing one polyester shirt using current methods generates 4.5 litres of wastewater and produces 0.17 Kg of CO2, compared to low energy digital technology, which uses less than 0.2 litres of water and reduces carbon emissions to 0.03 Kg.  Multiply these numbers by the billions of garments dyed each year and the scale of the environmental problem, if nothing changes, is clear to see.  Equally, the amount by which the textile industry can improve its carbon footprint is dramatic and can be done quickly if action is taken now.
Dr Simon Kew, Managing Director, Alchemie Technology comments “The technology now exists to enable the textile industry to make a significant contribution to helping meet the world’s net zero, climate change goals. But it requires the support of governments through investment, grants and legislation and the critical effort of brands, and their manufacturing supply chains to work together to make the change.”

Source:

Alchemie Technology

14.06.2021

Asahi Kasei renews membership by the United Nations BCtA programme

Asahi Kasei's ongoing commitment to strengthen the Bemberg™ fibre value chain from raw materials to final products textile industry and support local people, institutes, and the environment, has been recognized by the United Nations BCtA programme, who has renewed its membership for India. Starting from the company and including the material, Bemberg™ integrates new generations of values such as innovation and responsibility together with design. This important breakthrough showcases how the smart fibre is globally recognized for its innovation, responsibility and ability to deliver high-quality and sustainable ingredients at the same time committed to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Objectives of this initiative include:  

Asahi Kasei's ongoing commitment to strengthen the Bemberg™ fibre value chain from raw materials to final products textile industry and support local people, institutes, and the environment, has been recognized by the United Nations BCtA programme, who has renewed its membership for India. Starting from the company and including the material, Bemberg™ integrates new generations of values such as innovation and responsibility together with design. This important breakthrough showcases how the smart fibre is globally recognized for its innovation, responsibility and ability to deliver high-quality and sustainable ingredients at the same time committed to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Objectives of this initiative include:  

  • By 2023, enhance skills of 1,671 employees in the Bemberg fiber industry and advance production efficiency of 55 small to medium scale de-linting, weaving and dyeing manufacturers, through employee training, capital investment and technical support.
  • By 2023, develop capacity of 575 young people, especially women, who will lead the Indian textile industry, by providing vocational training opportunities and institutional support for the three schools.
  • By 2023 cumulative amount of 40,000m3/day textile dyeing effluent will be treated and recycled back to their own textile dyeing process, which is equivalent to saving daily water access to natural water resources for approx. 25,000 households.
Source:

Asahi Kasei Corp. / GB Network Marketing Communications Srl

Photo: pixabay
26.05.2021

Dow and Cotton Inc. are combining expertise for more Sustainable Fashion

Combining expertise for more sustainable fashion
Ever wonder how much water was used to make your favorite cotton T-shirt? About 2,700 liters, or roughly three years of drinking water. What first comes to mind is probably the water that was essential to growing the cotton crop. Surprisingly, cotton is a drought-tolerant plant, and often less recognized is the strain that can be put on water resources to dye cotton textiles.

Progress is being made across the industry to lessen the strain on our precious water resources. Over the past several years, Dow collaborated with Cotton Incorporated to research and validate their product, ECOFAST™ Pure Sustainable Textile Treatment, that can help drastically reduce water and chemical use during the dyeing process. Major fashion brands are integrating it into their supply chain to dye more sustainably, without sacrificing color or quality.

Combining expertise for more sustainable fashion
Ever wonder how much water was used to make your favorite cotton T-shirt? About 2,700 liters, or roughly three years of drinking water. What first comes to mind is probably the water that was essential to growing the cotton crop. Surprisingly, cotton is a drought-tolerant plant, and often less recognized is the strain that can be put on water resources to dye cotton textiles.

Progress is being made across the industry to lessen the strain on our precious water resources. Over the past several years, Dow collaborated with Cotton Incorporated to research and validate their product, ECOFAST™ Pure Sustainable Textile Treatment, that can help drastically reduce water and chemical use during the dyeing process. Major fashion brands are integrating it into their supply chain to dye more sustainably, without sacrificing color or quality.

Problem
Cotton dyeing is very resource-intensive and puts strain on local waterways. A large amount of water is used in the dyeing process – up to 5 trillion liters a year, or nearly enough to supply all of humanity with drinking water. Significant amounts of chemicals and dye are needed to get the desired colors consumers expect too. This is part of the reason textile mills account for 20% of industrial water pollution globally. Wastewater from the dyeing process can be polluting and require costly treatment and these challenges are found in regions that already face water scarcity.

Solution
Reforming processes in an industry as established as textiles is no easy feat. Collaboration across the sector is needed to bring about sustainable change. With that in mind, Cotton Incorporated approached Dow. They wanted help scaling a cotton technology to support more sustainable textile dyeing.Leveraging Cotton Incorporated’s industry expertise and Dow’s material science knowledge, they worked together to understand and validate the benefits of our patented ECOFAST™ Pure Sustainable Textile Treatment.

How can colors be more responsible?  
ECOFAST™ Pure is a pretreatment applied before the dyeing process to produce cationic cotton. This means the charge of cotton is permanently changed from negative to positive, so it acts like a magnet to attract negatively charged dye to the material. How does that benefit the textile mill? It significantly decreases the amount of water, chemicals, dye and energy needed to color cotton. A third party reviewed and validated life cycle assessment, available by request, helped further prove the benefits.

 

Source:

G&S Business Communications

Dyeing industry first for 7H with imogo (c) Imogo
The imogo team (left to right): Per Stenflo, textile process specialist Ellinor Niit and CEO Joacim Wellander.
10.02.2021

Dyeing industry first for 7H with imogo

Swedish commission dyeing company 7H Färgeri is looking to propel itself to the forefront of sustainable fabric production with the installation of the first industrial scale imogo Dye-Max spray dyeing line.
Currently under construction, the line will be delivered in the first week of March to the 7H plant close to the Swedish city of Borås. It will have a full working width of 1.8 metres with an operating speed of up to 50 metres for the reactive dyeing of cellulosic fibre-based fabrics. In addition, it will be capable of carrying out the application of a wide range of fabric pre-treatments and finishing processes, providing the company with unbeatable flexibility in production.

A proven Mini-Max laboratory unit for pre-determining application volumes and colour matching will also be delivered as part of the contract.

With the potential to slash the use of fresh water, wastewater, energy and chemicals by as much as 90% compared to conventional jet dyeing systems, the DyeMax has gained considerable attention since the concept was outlined and a prototype machine constructed in 2019.

Swedish commission dyeing company 7H Färgeri is looking to propel itself to the forefront of sustainable fabric production with the installation of the first industrial scale imogo Dye-Max spray dyeing line.
Currently under construction, the line will be delivered in the first week of March to the 7H plant close to the Swedish city of Borås. It will have a full working width of 1.8 metres with an operating speed of up to 50 metres for the reactive dyeing of cellulosic fibre-based fabrics. In addition, it will be capable of carrying out the application of a wide range of fabric pre-treatments and finishing processes, providing the company with unbeatable flexibility in production.

A proven Mini-Max laboratory unit for pre-determining application volumes and colour matching will also be delivered as part of the contract.

With the potential to slash the use of fresh water, wastewater, energy and chemicals by as much as 90% compared to conventional jet dyeing systems, the DyeMax has gained considerable attention since the concept was outlined and a prototype machine constructed in 2019.

Pilot scale trials have subsequently been carried out with many well-known international textile companies and their brand partners.
The application unit of the Dye-Max consists of a closed chamber containing a series of spray cassettes with precision nozzles for accurate and consistent coverage, in combination with the patented imogo Pro Speed valve that controls the volume to be applied.

Control and precision
“We are achieving an extremely low liquor ratio of around 0.5-1 litres per kilo of fabric and we fully control the pickup, applying precisely what is required to the specific fabric,” says imogo founding partner Per Stenflo. “Compared to traditional padders there is no contamination of the dyebath or dilution of the dye liquor to worry about.
Fast changeovers with virtually no waste together with a high production speed enable a high productivity and unmatched production flexibility. The system is also equipped with an exhaust system and droplet separator to ensure that the environment around the unit is safe and free from particles.

The imogo Mini-Max meanwhile frees up valuable production time by avoiding wasteful pre-runs. The user simply sets the recipe with the Mini-Max and transfers the parameters to the Dye-Max recipe database for the system to be fully production ready.

7H Färgeri was founded in 1935 and has established itself as the Nordic region’s most complete dyeing and processing plant, specialising in technical and functional textiles for the automotive and soft furnishings sectors, as well as functional and protective clothing.

The family-owned business is now run by brothers Johan and Peter Engelmann.
“We are pleased to be pioneering a sustainable first for the dyeing industry,” said Johan Engelmann. “Our goal is to offer the market products and services with the highest quality in the most climate-smart and sustainable way, and imogo’s spray technology will give us the opportunity to offer innovative new services and products to both existing and new customers. It will be a very exciting journey.”

World Congress on Textile Coating
On February 12th Per Stenflo will make a presentation entitled ‘Transforming Textile Dyeing’ during the online World Congress on Textile Coating which is held over four days, between February 11th and 19th.