In an interview, Thomas Winkler, President Brand & Performance Textile Specialties Business, Archroma with Chemical Today Magazine opens up about ways in which sustainability in colouring systems is the biggest trend that is changing the textile chemicals manufacturers’ approach towards business globally.
By Shivani Mody
Global textile industry trends influencing textile chemicals business.
Archroma is present in over 35 countries with 24 production sites, and that certainly allows us to have a unique perspective on the textile industry worldwide.
One of the major trends we see at the moment is the growing pressure to reduce the environmental impact of all steps throughout the textile supply chain. We see it as an opportunity as for Archroma, sustainability is just important but it is our nature. We continuously challenge the status quo in the deep belief that we can make our industry sustainable. Because of that, Archroma has been at the forefront of developing innovations that support the evolution towards a more sustainable industry, and our customers know that they can turn to us for solutions here and now.
Another major trend is the increasing role of speed to market with the influence of short fashion cycles. This is reshaping the industry. Archroma understands the specific needs of the entire supply chain - from the fibre to the shop.
We also see a growth in the area of synthetic fibres, especially polyester, which now makes up over half of the world fiber consumption. Technological developments are taking place at fast pace eg. digital printing or low liquor dyeing machines.
Technological innovations/advancement in the textile chemicals.
I would mention three areas:
- New generation of digital printing technology: They are allowing faster, more economical textile printing so as to be a realistic alternative to conventional screen printing. Here our new Inkpresso® technology is a great new option. The Inkpresso® system combines an Ink Formulation Unit (IFU) that Archroma developed with Swiss technology partner InkSitu, and a portfolio of eight standard reactive dyes, allowing textile printers to create their own ink on demand and on site. The system allows lower stocks and reduces shelf life issues - and transported ink volumes can be reduced by up to 50 percent.
- Ecological alternatives to critical chemistry: Archroma is a fore runner with our alternatives to long-chain PFC repellents, such as our C6-based Nuva® N or our new Smartrepel® range which is not based on fluorine. Archroma also developed alternatives to formaldehyde-based printing systems – such as our “Zero add-on” formaldehyde Helizarin® EcoSafe pigment printing system - or to halogen based flame retardants – with our halogen-free Pekoflam® range.
- Colouration systems to minimize environmental footprint, reduce water and energy consumption: Here again Archroma has made the headlines with innovations such as “Advanced Denim” and “EarthColors”. Patagonia, a major forward-thinking brand, has already adopted both technologies to create its recent Denim and Clean Color collections.
Advanced Denim is a process that uses dyestuffs that bond more easily to cotton, allowing savings up to 92 percent in water, 87 percent in cotton waste, 30 percent in energy, compared to conventional synthetic indigo denim dyeing processes.
“EarthColors” is a new range of “biosynthetic” dyes for cotton and cellulose-based fabrics designed to provide rich red, brown and green colors to denim and casualwear. In this patent-pending process, Archroma makes use of almond shells, saw palmetto, rosemary leaves, and other natural non-edible agricultural waste products that would otherwise be sent to landfill.
Potential for textile chemicals in developing countries.
There are many exciting opportunities for the textile industry across many developing regions of the world, from Central America, to Africa and South-East Asia. Some are developing as close-to-market hubs, such as Central America for US, or as attractive alternatives to China for responsible economical textile production.
At the same time, the demand for more sustainable manufacturing processes will increase also in these developing market, and offer new opportunities for responsible players such as Archroma who have committed to sustainability and can offer both reliable product sources and eco-advanced innovations and processes.
Regions with potential demand for textile chemicals.
We see a growing demand from South Asia, especially Bangladesh and India; South East Asia, in particular Vietnam and Indonesia; Central America and the Andean region; as well as from the Middle East and Africa where we see strong growth potential in the longer term. In terms of applications, there is a growing demand in the areas of synthetic fibers and functional finishes.
Demands from the textile manufacturing industry.
The industry is increasingly looking for solutions that combine sustainable and economical processing – from pretreatment, to colouration to finishing. We give our customers innovative eco-advanced products and systems to give new functionality, performance or coloration possibilities.
Changes and development of colours for denim apparels.
In the past, any new development for denim apparels would always have focused on creating new wash-down effects and fashion looks. Nowadays new colour developments for denim apparel are mainly driven by sustainability. This is where Archroma can offer its experience. With our innovative technologies such as Advanced Denim or EarthColors, we help denim brands and manufacturers to create classic looks - or entirely new fashion looks and effects – bring together creativity, performance and sustainability.
Archroma’s business plans for Asia Pacific.
Archroma is very much at home in Asia in terms of our footprint there, including the global headquarters of our Brand & Performance Textile Specialties business based in Singapore. Asia-Pacific represents around half of our textile business: We are active in China, Japan, Indonesia and India, and we have invested in operations for manufacturing and servicing the textile industry in growth markets such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and Vietnam, where we aim to grow with our textile customers there.
On Smartrepel Hydro products and EarthColors technology.
Our innovative Smartrepel® products fulfill the stringent requirements of Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) standards, as well as Oeko-Tex, bluesign and others. Moreover, even being highly biodegradable they provide a highly durable water repellent effect.
EarthColors is a new range of seven “biosynthetic” dyes for cotton and cellulose-based fabrics designed to provide rich red, brown and green colors to denim and casualwear. In this patent-pending process, Archroma makes use of almond shells, saw palmetto, rosemary leaves, and other natural non-edible agricultural waste products that would otherwise be sent to landfill.
The new dyes have been four years in the making, and they have the overall performance of our existing sulfur dyes range made from conventional raw materials.
The EarthColors range is produced near Barcelona, Spain, with all raw materials sourced from within a radius of 500 km. And because the raw material is a natural polymer, they are exempts of REACH registration.
Process optimization tool for textile mills users.
Archroma’s ONE WAY Calculator, introduced back in 2012, is the successor tool of the former CostCalc tool, aiming to bring together the dual objectives of ecology and economy. The ONE WAY tool simulates real processes in mills, providing detailed information about the costs and environmental impact of their production process - energy and water consumption, waste water, freight, time, running costs, COD / BOD values, and CO2-balance of single steps, machines, and the entire process.
With this information, they can see how efficient they are and what benefits and savings are to be expected if they do adaptations towards more eco-advanced recipes and processes. Archroma also plans to launch an online version of the tool that will take our ONE WAY sustainability service to a whole new level.
Increased demand for technical textiles in the medical, automotive, construction, pharmaceuticals etc sectors.
We support our customers with innovative and eco-advanced solutions:
- In the area of coloration first, with our high performance pigment preparations, Printofix® TF that allow excellent light, weather and ozone fastness;
- Second in the area of fire protection, with our halogen-free flame retardant range Pekoflam®;
- Third, with our solutions for repellence and release, from our C6 based fluoro-chemistry technology Nuva® N to SmartRepel®, a new range for customers who are looking for options not based on fluorine;
- And last but not least, our coating solutions, with our Appretan® and Lurapret® low-formaldehyde or formaldehyde-free polymer dispersions.
Challenges faced by textile chemicals manufacturers globally.
This industry is facing a challenge that we at Archroma see as a chance for the future of the industry: Sustainability - and the ever more stringent environmental standards coming in place in textile manufacture.
The textile industry as a whole also has to meet tighter specifications of leading textile brands and retailers under the positive influence of the public and influencers, such as the ZDHC group which we welcomed and supported from the very beginning.
The second main challenge facing the industry is the response times to meet customer needs in shorter cycles and global supply chains. And again, we at Archroma are able to help the industry take that challenge. We can rely on our unique global footprint of 25 production sites, as well as our presence in all major textile markets to support customers with sales and distribution, and technical expertise close to them.
© Chemical Today Magazine
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