Producing Blue Denim: A Process Using 92% Less Water

Posted on August 15th, 2016 by Christina Valimaki in Chemical Manufacturing Excellence

Blue jeans are about as basic as it gets when it comes to clothing. They’re great for work wear, or just to relax – that’s why most people own a few pairs. But they also happen to be extremely taxing on our natural resources. The sheer amount of water needed to produce blue jeans (literally thousands of gallons for one pair!) is enormous and, quite simply, unsustainable.

The major culprit is the indigo dye that has always been so vital to creating that classic look for jeans. That’s why a company called Archroma decided to seek out a new dyeing process for denim production that would require far less water and energy. Their creativity and hard work has resulted in innovations that now make it possible to produce blue jeans that will satisfy traditionalists while offering 30% energy savings and an incredible 92% water savings.

View this Alpha Moment in Industry to find out how Archroma’s deep dive into sulphur-dye chemistry resulted in the creation of new dyes that have the same great look as indigo, but are far better for the planet and its inhabitants.

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  All opinions shared in this post are the author’s own.

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Christina Valimaki

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