The technological partnership to reduce water use and improve dye durability between fashion-forward Italian company PureDenim and tech-savvy Israeli company Sonovia is anticipated to go into commercial production in later half of 2023.
The eco-friendly dyeing process that should make a significant step toward completely eliminating or at least significantly reducing water consumption has been anxiously anticipated by the denim industry.
It’s anticipated that the high-profile technology partnership between Israel’s Sonovia and fashion-forward Italy’s PureDenim, which aims to reduce water use and improve colour durability, will be commercialised in the second half of the year.
The arrangement, which was first revealed this year, sparked a lot of excitement in the denim sector. Traditional indigo dyeing techniques are notorious for utilising large amounts of water and energy, as well as having colours that are weakly resistant to washing. By 2026, the global denim industry, which is estimated to reach $76.1 billion, will be using these techniques. This partnership is a step toward using disruptive technology to address all of these problems, hence the intense interest.
This marked Sonovia’s entry into the dying business. Sonovia is an alumnus of the Fashion for Good accelerator and specialises in environmentally friendly ultrasonic textile technologies. According to estimates, the market for indigo colours is worth $1.3 billion annually. Products like Sonomask, a well-liked facemask during the outbreak, were made using Sonovia’s antimicrobial ultrasonic fabric treatments.
Sonovia has been a publicly traded firm at the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange since December 2020 and is well-known for its antibacterial ultrasonic treatments.
Roy Hirsch, the CBO at Sonovia, while commenting on dyeing technology , he said, “As of the data that we have now, we are able to eliminate the scouring, reduction, and oxidation processes, and all hazardous chemistries that are involved with these processes, and to then reduce the amount of dye baths from what is used today (8–12 dye baths) to only two dye baths, while using very pure and clean chemistry. This entails a decrease of >70% in chemicals, energy, and water.”
The dye chemistry is proprietary to Sonovia. When it comes to durability, we may decide how durable or less durable we wish the dyeing to be, and in some circumstances we need to enable the wash effect post dyeing,” he further said.
PureDenim, the company responsible for producing the denim, was one of the first to support Greenpeace’s Detox Campaign in 2014 in favour of a chemical-free manufacturing process.
The recently finished COP27 and the escalating energy crisis in Europe pose additional challenges to the denim industry’s fight for survival as it tries to get rid of toxics. Additionally, the use of water, dyes, and energy by the denim industry has been a long-standing topic of discussion.
How does PureDenim intend to reduce each of these by 2030? According to PureDenim’s founder and CEO, Luigi Caccia, “We are not inventing this technology because of a climate problem, whether that is the reality or not, is something we cannot say because we are not experts in this subject. As far as we are aware, Sonovia is the only practical technology that can result in a reduction of over 70% in all crucial elements, be it water, energy, or chemical. We are developing this technology to substantially minimise the pollution generated by the standard dye procedure. It almost qualifies as the proverbial panacea.”
“The energy crisis is affecting all manufacturing sectors. Textiles, in this case, is a sector that uses large amounts of energy and gas. Rising sales prices are significantly reducing turnover. It is at historical moments such as these that new energy-efficient technologies are needed to deal substantially with current crises and those that will arise in the coming years.” , adds Caccia.
Yet, still enough, what is PureDenim planning to do so as to stay ahead of the times? Remarks Caccia, “PureDenim’s production processes and products already comply with the new EU directives. Since 2014, PureDenim has undertaken a policy of re-engineering products and technologies that have enabled us to present innovative production processes worldwide, such as SmartIndigo technology (reduction of indigo to the leuco state through the use of electrochemical cells).
PureDenim’s handiwork was present at the just-concluded Denim Première Vision in Milan. On showcase was the Outside Denim Lab’s new Ecouture line created by PureDenim.
| Coating Technology | Sustainable Alternative |
| Sonovia, previously Nano Textile, offers a sustainable alternative to binder chemicals normally used to attach finishes onto a fabric. Its technology embeds fabric finishes directly into fabric using a process called Cavitation and can apply to a range of products such as antibacterial and anti-odour finishes or water repellence. The elimination of binders reduces the amount of chemicals used in the finishing process, while the very strong impregnation protects the end-user and the environment from the leaking of hazardous chemicals. The wet process method has the capacity to revolutionise the wet textile processing industry and transform the textile industry into a vastly more sustainable and greener practice. | Sonovia has developed the most durable, versatile, safe and effective anti-bacterial coating technology for textiles, and the only technology to be able to positively address the very strict demands by the hospital sector. Academic evidence suggests that the metallic nanoparticles at the core of Sonovia’s technology could be an effective shield against the growing epidemic COVID-19. Currently, the company is working towards creating protective equipment by partnering with manufacturers across the globe, in hopes that it will be able to design effective, reusable, anti-viral utilities such as facemasks and hazard suits. |
