Wet-to-dry project aims to slash emissions and water use
Sustainable clothing initiative Fashion For Good has announced a new consortium project that it says could reduce emissions from textile processing by up to 89%, and to cut water consumption by as much as 95%.
The project, D(R)YE Factory of the Future, aims to accelerate the shift from wet to dry processing. It will be orchestrated by Fashion For Good and will have adidas, Kering, PVH Corp, Arvind Limited and Welspun India as project partners.
New technologies that the project partners plan to introduce through this initiative will bring about changes in pre-treatment, colouration and finishing of textiles.
Fashion For Good said that innovations that already exist in this space “are often explored in isolation”. Instead the new project will look at several innovations together to validate their combined impact and potential to scale in the fashion value chain.
Eight technology providers will work with the D(R)YE Factory of the Future partners as project innovators. They are Alchemie Technologies, Deven Supercriticals, eCO2Dye, GRINP, Indigo Mill Designs, imogo, MTIX and Stony Creek Colors.
They will demonstrate innovations in pre-treatment and colouration in processes for cotton, polyester, blends, denim and wool. The technologies they will use will include plasma and laser treatments, spray dyeing, supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) and foam dyeing.
Amsterdam-based Fashion For Good said it would share results and evaluations, as well as next steps for implementation, in a report in late 2022. Its managing director, Katrin Ley, said: “Textile processing is the largest contributor to carbon emissions in the supply chain and a shift to mostly dry processing is crucial for the path to net-zero. By validating a combination of technologies, we can unlock the full potential of those solutions.”
Image: adidas.
