On 16th February, 2023, the Society of Dyers and Colorists Education Charity, organized a need based half day seminar on “Innovation in water and energy management” at Boisar. Mr. Sandeep Singh (Hon. Vice Chairman SDC EC) was the Convenor of the program and Dr. Pratima Goyal (Hon. Treasurer SDC EC) hosted the program along with the dynamic students of the Department of Textile and Fashion Technology, College of Home Science Nirmala Niketan –Mumbai, Ms. Riddhi Rayal, Ms. Serena Pereira, and Ms. Zuha Fatima Shaikh, who volunteered and co-hosted the program.
The seminar began at 2:30pm, where Ms. Riddhi Rayal introduced the program and welcomed the audience. To invoke the blessing of the Lord, Dr. Pratima Goyal invited Mr. Velji Gogri (President, Tarapur Industrial Manufacturing Association), Special Guest Mr. Neeraj Purohit (General Manager, Gini Silk Mills Limited), Mr. Vijay Garg (Vice President, Reliance Industries Ltd) who were accompanied by Mr. Sandeep Singh (Hon. Vice Chairman SDC EC) and Mr. Sane for lighting of lamp. A welcome address was given by Mr. Sandeep Singh (Hon. Vice Chairman SDC EC) .Sir, spoke about the history and significance of the Society of Dyers and Colorists Education Charity. Next the Chief Guest, Mr. Velji Gogri, spoke about the different ways and means of reducing electric bills and also informed about the tie up with green power suppliers and how power can be made available at cheaper cost, leading to a subtraction in bills and cost-effective reduction in energy utility. He also urged the industry people present in the seminar to implement different ways of water management and to use the available technology to reduce water waste and to recycle the used water.Ms. Riddhi Rayal next invited our Special Guest, Mr. Neeraj Purohit (General Manager, Gini Silk Mills Limited) to address the audience. Sir, spoke about the importance of water and how water is inevitably essential for all living beings and how it helps in poverty reduction, economic growth, and environment stability. He also mentioned about the advancing urbanization. It is essential to make our water smart, and mentioned that it is just as important as making our city smart. It was a very thoughtful and knowledgeable deliberation by Mr. Purohit which inspired all present. Mr. Vijay Garg (Vice President, Reliance Industries Ltd) our Keynote speaker was than invited. He presented his company’s practice and ideas on sustainability. He also shared their invention on dope dyeing and how this process is water saving, energy saving with better color fastness, sublimation fastness and wash fastness. He further spoke about the latest research i.e. ‘Green Gold’ which is a recycled yarn made from plastic bottles. In his talk he encouraged everyone to make products which are sustainable, so as to leave a better ecosystem for our Gen Zee.
All the three speakers were very inspiring and motivated those present in the audience, to practice sustainability in their industrial setup, to bring in change and adapt new ways for a sustainable future. The crux of the deliberations by the experts was to analyze and integrate technology in relation to sustainable water conservation and energy management.
The second session of the seminar was hosted by Ms. Serena Pereira. She introduced the speaker Mr. Rajesh Relekar (Vice President, Grasim Industries Ltd) who spoke about “Liva Spunshades Eco Enhanced.” which is an important innovation in relation to water and energy saving procedures. Sir talked about Birla Spunshades, which is a dope-dyed fibers, created with a unique Color Lock Technology. The fabrics will not fade even after numerous washes since the pigments are entrapped in the fiber itself, as compared to traditional piece-dyeing of fabrics. Birla Cellulose controls majority of the global market for colored fibers and has an extensive palette of 74 colors. The fabrics have an unmatched luster, high moisture regain, eco-friendly, soft feel, and comfortable. The constructed fabrics made from Birla Spunshades, require low water consumption, there is low greenhouse gas emissions, traceability of the source through block chain technology is possible, and it is biodegradable.
This session was followed by Panel Discussion, the panelists were invited and introduced by the host Ms. Zuha Fatima Shaikh. The moderator for the panel discussion was none other than Mr. Umasankar Mahapatra (Managing Director, Pulcra Chemicals India Pvt. Ltd). Sir introduced the topic and explained the importance and the need for water and energy management. He further requested Mr. Swapneshu Baser (Managing Director, Deven Supercriticals Pvt. Ltd) to present their company’s research and innovations. Mr. Baser stressed on the issue of water utility in textile processing. Deven Supercriticals Pvt. Ltd intends to implement a no-water technique that substitutes supercritical fluids, for water as a solvent, in the fabric dyeing process. CO2 has become the most popular supercritical fluid. The advantages of supercritical fluids include faster dye diffusion and penetration into the textile materials, a substantially shorter dyeing process. CO2 being non-explosive and safer (causes no harm to fibers or fabrics), causes less environment pollution, is excellent as a supercritical fluid to be used for dyeing instead of water.
Next, Mr. Vignesh Amalraj (Country Head, Institute for Ecology, Technology and Innovation) highlighted on auditing and the importance of certification in order to follow sustainable water and energy consumption practices. He explained that India is in a high-risk zone for water pollution and utility. He cited, several cases and examples, which leads to water pollution. He stated that for each procedure, the ISO analysis is a must and each company should establish mechanisms to save water and energy accordingly.
Further, Mr. Shripad Sitaram Kher (Founder Director, Amogh Chemicals Pvt Ltd) explained the market and also shared how their company survived during lockdown. He also suggested that all the companies should calculate the consumption of energy and water in each of the operations, so that they are conscious and there is no wastage of any resources. He encouraged the participating companies to plan their sustainable strategies accordingly.
Mr.Uday Khadilkar (Senior Vice President, Grasim Industries Ltd) presented ‘Birla Cellulose- Fibers for sustainable fashion’. In this approach they made regenerated cellulosic fibers that are recyclable and biodegradable. He also explained about different types of fibers that are produced and their environmental benefits and their sustainable strategies.
Mr. Abhishek Raybole (Manager, Archroma India Pvt. Ltd.) discussed about the important step towards sustainability which should be considered by each of the processing industries. According to him a sustainable product line should be created and followed by setting up a system which is completely sustainable.
Overall it was a very informative insight on ‘Innovation in water and energy management’ where the experts presented simple but effective suggestions on how to save water and energy efficiently- which is the need of the hour.
In the QnA session, the experts effectively gave their suggestions, to the queries of the audience
Team of SDC EC along with student volunteers of College of Home Science Nirmala Niketan
Last but not the least Mr. Sandeep Singh (Hon. Vice Chairman SDC EC) gave a heartfelt vote of thanks. The Honorary Trustee Board team led by Mr. Anjani Prasad (Hon. Chairman SDC EC),
Mr. Sandeep Singh (Hon. Vice Chairman SDC EC), Dr. Pratima Goyal (Hon. Treasurer SDC EC), Dr. Vishaka Karnad (Hon. Secretary SDC EC) along with all the members of the trustee board are very thankful to all the speakers who have shared their valuable insight related to the topic. We are indebted to our sponsors of the event, without whose support the seminar would not be possible and to all the participants, whom we are sure have gained a lot from the brilliant deliberations by the experts from the field. The chief guest, keynote speaker, special guest, invited speakers, moderator and panelists were felicitated with the memento and bouquets. The sponsors – Aditya Birla (Grasim), Liva, Amogh, and OETI were also felicitated by SDC EC members- Mr. Sane, Mr. Sandeep Singh, Dr. Pratima Goyal, Mr. Deepak Karade and Mr. Vignesh Amalraj. The volunteers were felicitated with a certificate of appreciation and bouquet. The enlightening seminar came to an end followed by high tea and snacks for all.
