Archroma and Jeanologia Team Up on Eco-Friendly Denim Cleaning

Archroma, a leading global producer of specialty chemicals for sustainable solutions, and Jeanologia, a pioneer in developing sustainable and efficient technologies, have joined forces to launch an eco-improved alternative to denim fabric washing, including in some cases the mercerization process—one of the most water-intensive and polluting steps in denim finishing. Denim production requires a succession of steps aimed at giving our favorite jeans their desired properties. Everything begins with the spinning stage, where cotton is converted into yarn. The second step is a pre-treatment that prepares the yarn for the dyeing stage. [caption id="attachment_132911" align="aligncenter"] Archroma and Jeanologia offer an eco-improved alternative to denim fabric cleaning, one of the most water-intensive and polluting processes in denim finishing. (Image source: Archroma)[/caption] The dyed yarn then undergoes sizing, a process that prepares it for weaving. At this point, a denim fabric has been obtained that will go through several more stages. First, the fabric may be subjected to a washing process or, in some cases, a mercerization process consisting of treatment with caustic soda to obtain a brighter, flatter, and less reddish blue and black denim. In both traditional methods of cleaning fabric—washing or mercerization—multiple high water-intensive washes are required to restore the optimal fabric pH and to remove unfixed dyes and unwanted residues or dirt from the fabric. One such impurity released in the washing process is aniline, classified as a category 2 carcinogen and considered toxic to aquatic life. For this reason, Archroma and Jeanologia formed a team and decided to develop an alternative to the traditional fabric cleaning process and the subsequent water-intensive and water-polluting washes. The groundbreaking alternative to the fabric cleaning concept presented by Jeanologia and Archroma combines the use of Archroma's aniline-free* PURE INDIGO ICON dyeing system with Jeanologia's water-free** and chemical-free "G2 Dynamic" finishing technology. [caption id="attachment_132912" align="aligncenter"] Denim production requires several steps aimed at giving our favorite jeans their desired properties. (Graphic source: Archroma)[/caption]

Aniline-free solution

Archroma PURE INDIGO ICON is based on an innovation launched by the company in May 2018: aniline-free* Denisol® Pure Indigo. Aniline is a key component in making the indigo molecule. Unfortunately, during this process, some aniline impurities are carried over into the indigo dye. When indigo dye is applied to the fabric, most of the aniline impurity becomes locked in the pigment on the fabric. The remaining aniline impurity is released during dyeing. This can be problematic because aniline is toxic to aquatic life. Additionally, exposure levels for factory workers can be high. For this reason, the new Denisol® Pure Indigo 30 liq was developed as an aniline-free(1) indigo solution for designers, manufacturers, and brand owners seeking authentic indigo inspiration.

Energy savings

Jeanologia G2 Dynamic was launched in 2008. The ozone process, a first on the market for continuous fabrics, significantly reduces the amount of water and chemicals used while also providing cost savings in the mill and ultimately in garment finishing facilities. This technology makes the fabric more stable and consistent and better prepares the fabric for use with other technologies such as laser. As jointly presented with Archroma a few months ago, this machine can be used together with Pad-Ox technology to help clean the fabric, thereby improving fastness results while achieving significant energy and CO2 savings at room temperature. The Archroma/Jeanologia solution enables the creation of aniline-free* denim and improves the final appearance of the fabric with a completely chemical-free and almost water-free** alternative cleaning process. The Archroma/Jeanologia solution can also be used with additional Archroma coloring systems such as INDIGO REFLECTION or PURE UNDERTONES. Umberto Devita, Business Development Manager of Archroma's Denim and Casual Wear Center of Excellence and project leader for this new development, states: "At Archroma, we strive to develop solutions in line with our principles: 'Archroma's Way to a Sustainable World: Safe, efficient, advanced—this is in our nature.' For this reason, it was very inspiring to work with a partner that shares our values of developing efficient new processes to deliver all our expertise to our customers for denim that looks as good as the benefit it creates." Jean-Pierre Inchauspe, Business Director of Jeanologia G2 Dynamic, said, "This collaboration is another step toward replacing traditional, more polluting and water-consuming processes in the textile industry with new processes that use technology to improve and accelerate subsequent production stages up to garment finishing, making them more efficient and enabling companies to become more competitive, increase productivity, and deliver completely sustainable, high-quality products."