EU Denim Ecolabel for Clariant
Clariant International (specialty chemicals and global textiles solutions provider) has been bestowed with the EU Ecolabel for its Advanced Denim Illustration Collection and the company is among the first firms to achieve this status in recognition of the sustainability benefit of its Advanced Denim process
Clariant’s Advanced Denim process guarantees sustainablility |
We have previously described the principles of this revolutionary and its sustainability benefits. Clariant has developed its own denim prototype clothing collection cooperating with a textile mill and laundry for achieving the EU Ecolabel certification – also known as “EU Flower label” – and by demonstrating the practical reality with its Pad/Sizing-Ox dyeing technology. It was not an easy process because the problems associated with traditional denim production have made it difficult but the new Advanced Denim technology has simplified the finishing and dyeing of a fabric that accounts for some 14 % of global cotton production. If the new technology would be applied worldwide in the production of jeans 62 million m3 of water per year or the equivalent of the water consumption of 1.7 million people could be saved. In the conventional denim indigo dyeing process the fabric passes through a line of 10 to 14 vats, depending on the equipment used whereas Clariant’s Denim-Ox process brings this sequence down to 4 and its Pad/Sizing Ox reduces it further to just one vat. Both methods require the application of Clariant’s Diresul® RDT dyes allowing a broader spectrum of shades as with conventional indigo dyes and without causing the acknowledged environmental problems. Additionally the new chemistry would also eliminate the need to treat 8.3 million m3 wastewater per year and this would save power in the order 220 million kWh and thus reducing the carbon footprint of the industry in CO2 emissions.