Archroma, a leader in colour and specialty chemicals, and the former textile, paper and emulsions businesses of Clariant, has received  the prestigious ICIS Innovation Award for Best Business Innovation for its One Way sustainability service.

It has been recognised for its game-changing approach to textile manufacturing based on the strong conviction that both ecological and economic benefits are reachable, the company reports.

With customers, for customers

Archroma’s One Way was launched in October last year to help customers meet their sustainability targets in a fast and reliable manner. It is a three-step systematic approach to the selection of chemicals and production processes that once completed, gives customers calculation results that assess the cost, performance and environmental profile of the evaluated products and processes.

“We developed this approach with customers, for customers,” explained Emrah Esder, Archroma’s Head of Marketing Chemicals, Textile Specialties Business. “Their input was critical in making One Way a sustainability service that customers could count on to make their business more successful.”

Systematic approach

The first step of the service is Product Selection, based on data on over 200 One Way products collected and integrated in the ‘One Way Selector’. All dyes and chemicals included have been screened by Archroma’s product stewardship specialists against more than 15 eco-standards and criteria. This provides instant information access on how each of the products scores in terms of toxicological and ecological profile and standards.

The second step is Process Short Listing, during which textile manufacturers can narrow down their selection of products to one of four process groups, based on their environmental focus and how it affects climate, resources, waste water content and volumes.

The third step is Solution Selection, based on Archroma’s One Way Calculator software. It assesses the cost, performance and environmental profile of products almost instantly. Possible measurements with the One Way Calculator include:

• The cost and performance of a given product process, based on relevant parameters, such as dyes and chemicals, water, energy or time;
• Their environmental profile, based on actual measurements of chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD), CO2 emissions, energy consumption and water usage.

Commitment to sustainability

Archroma’s Textile Specialties Business has been recognised for the second time by ICIS.

In 2012, then a Clariant business, Archroma’s Textile Specialties Business was honoured with two ICIS Innovation Awards for its Advanced Denim eco-advanced dyeing technology.

It received the ICIS Innovation with Best Environmental Benefit Award and the overall ICIS Innovation Award.

www.archroma.com