Tokyo (SCCIJ) – A young Swiss company, Sedo Engineering, is bringing a revolutionary change to the denim and jeans industry. Its technology colors denim fabric blue using an electrical process instead of chemicals. In doing so, Switzerland is paving the way for a more environmentally friendly textile industry.
Caption: A Swiss company has made blue jeans production more environment-safe (Source: Pixabay).
Huge industry
Retail sales of denim or blue jeans are by far the most valuable channel in the industry. Worldwide, some 15 billion meters of denim fabric are produced each year for use in some 10 billion garments, with China, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Mexico, and Brazil being the main makers. The value of retail sales is forecast to reach approximately $71.8 billion by 2027.
Denim is made from 100% cotton. Blue pigment and other substances are used to dye denim. In the last decade, denim was mainly dyed with indigo (67%), sulfur black (26%), and other sulfur dyes (6%). Thus, indigo dye is the most popular dye used in denim production.
The Swiss company Sedo Engineering calls its technology “Smart-Indigo”. This highly sustainable way of dyeing denim offers liquid indigo production where the only waste product is oxygen. It uses only indigo pigment, caustic soda, water, and electricity. In a fully automated process, the clean liquid indigo is produced, metered, and fed directly into the dye bath.
Enormous potential
Smart Indigo, a thoroughly Swiss concept, is considered a pioneer for the entire jeans industry. This application of electro-chemistry is an example of the enormous potential that this technology and the know-how associated with it could open up in the field of water treatment.
Using electricity instead of chemicals results in a process that is free of hazardous chemicals, emits 90 percent less carbon dioxide, and uses 70 percent less energy and 30 percent less water at various stages. This technology protects the environment and offers economical production. It also protects people from exposure to some hazardous chemicals.
The Swiss start-up has developed a complex plant that can dye 25,000 pairs of jeans a day. Several machines using this technology are already in operation, for example in China and Pakistan. A single plant can produce about one tonne of dye per day.
Long experience
Sedo Engineering SA. was founded in 2014 to develop sustainable technologies for the denim industry. The company is led by and based on people with more than 40 years of experience in the textile dyeing and finishing industry.
With its roots in Switzerland and as part of the Savio Group, Sedo Engineering SA offers Swiss quality standards and the highest reliability. With a worldwide network of experienced partners in the world’s major textile regions, Smart-Indigo also offers an established and successful supply chain.
Text: SCCIJ based on information from Vitality Swiss/Swissnex/Smartindigo.com
