Being primary among the clothing segments in the world, denim continues to remain at issue due to its environmental effects. In order to produce a pair of jeans, over 2500 galloons of water, nearly half a kilogram of chemicals and lots of energy use are required. When it is calculated that 2 billions of jeans are being produced in the world every year, emerging tableau becomes a pessimistic one for a sustainable future. The industry remains in-between serious debates because of water consumption and greenhouse gas.
16. Traditional Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference, held between 18-20 June with sponsorship of North America Chemistry Society’ s Green Chemistry Institute (ACS GCI), holds light to a gren and eco chemistry process. At the conference, many producersintroduce their eco products and solutions to the industry. Miguel Sanchez, Clairant Textile Engineer, told about the process called Advanced Denim developed by Clairant.this process can produce a pair of jeans differently from the classical denim production methods, with 92 percent less water and up to 30 percent less energy consumption. Additionally, it provides up to 87 percent less cotton waste (which is often burned, adding carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to the atmosphere) and virtually no wastewater.
Unlike conventional denim production methods, which require up to 15 dyeing vats and an array of potentially harmful chemicals, Advanced Denim uses just one vat and a new generation of eco-advanced, concentrated, liquid sulfur dyes that require only a single, sugar-based reducing agent. All other production steps are eliminated, according to Sanchez. If just 25 percent of the world’s denim jeans were dyed with this technology, Sanchez said, it would save enough water to cover the needs of 1.7 million people every year. Sanchez stated; “That’s equivalent to about 2.5 billion gallons of water every year. It also would forestall the release of 8.3 million cubic meters of wastewater, save up to 220 million kilowatt hours of electricity and eliminate the release of a corresponding amount of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere annually”.
Sanchez continued; ““Advanced Denim process goes beyond the technologies that are today considered standard for obtaining denim material. We offer new possibilities for enlarging the number of tones and effects currently achievable, make production more simple and efficient, and all this with the minimal use of resources”.
