Swiss chemical company Clariant has released a series of score cards to demonstrate the percentage savings in water and energy consumption, chemical usage, time, GHG emissions and Biological/Chemical Oxygen Demand (BOD/COD) ratio attainable with its technology compared to conventional methods.
The company says its One Way sustainability toolbox offers textile mills, manufacturers, brands and retailers facts and measurements to help them select products and processes with both ecology and economy in mind.
“With the One Way toolbox we are going the extra mile to encourage and support greater resource saving by the textile industry,” said Emrah Esder, Head of Marketing for Chemicals at Clariant’s Textile Chemicals Business Unit. “It puts transparent and reliable facts about how new available technologies help answer brands’ and retailers’ requirements for more sustainability — at controlled cost levels — at their fingertips.”
The score cards highlight the savings potential of innovations such as advanced denim, a dyeing process that can save 92 percent in water and 45 percent in energy consumption compared to conventional denim dyeing processes. Clariant claims the method saved around 700 million liters of water in 2012 alone.
The company claims the SWIFT continuous dyeing process for polyester/cellulose blends can lead to a 45 percent reduction in GHG emissions and 50 percent less water usage over traditional methods. The score cards also show the “ultra low liquor ratio cellulosic dyeing” process can decrease water consumption by nearly a quarter and energy use by as much as 43 percent.
During bleaching, the “blue magic” process for discontinuous treatment is twice as water efficient, 40 percent more energy efficient and can be done in half the time when compared to regular bleaching practices.
Earlier this month, Clariant announced it will begin using a new label on its products to certify sustainable attributes. The so-called EcoTain label indicates a four-step life cycle: Sustainable Design, Responsible Process, Safe & Efficient Use, and Eco-Integration. Only products meeting all four requirements will be awarded the EcoTain label.
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Founder & Principal Consultant, Hower Impact
Mike Hower is the founder of Hower Impact — a boutique consultancy delivering best-in-class strategic communication advisory and support for corporate sustainability, ESG and climate tech.
Published Mar 28, 2013 3am EDT / 12am PDT / 7am GMT / 8am CET