Huntsman Textile Effects and Genencor, a division of Danisco A/S, have introduced Gentle Power Bleach, a revolutionary solution for bleaching textiles in a more environmentally friendly way.

Gentle Power BleachTM is a new bleaching technology from Huntsman based on a first to market enzyme innovation from Genencor. The new peroxide bleach system allows for low temperature bleaching of textiles at 65°C and at a neutral pH range. By lowering the treatment and rinsing temperature considerably, savings in water and energy consumption of up to 40% are possible says Huntsman.

According to Huntsman, what makes the system unique is that it represents an important contribution towards more sustainable textile fibre processing, while delivering textile goods with enhanced quality. On regenerated cellulosic fibres in particular, textile processors can obtain excellent full white levels. The company says that fabrics pre-treated with Gentle Power Bleach demonstrate an extremely soft, bulky, natural handle, seen especially on cottons. In addition it claims that using Gentle Power Bleach results in less fabric weight loss whilst delivering brighter and more brilliant colour shades with a higher colour yield.

"We are very excited to bring this solution to market today," outlines Stephen Gray, Vice President of Research and Technology at Huntsman Textile Effects. "As the industry is evaluating how to improve on sustainability, we can now provide alternatives to existing technologies that were non-existent up until today. We see this as an important step forward, both for the industry and the environment."

"We believe industrial biotechnology can deliver bio based solutions to address challenges facing the industrial world today," says Glenn Nedwin, Executive Vice President of the Technical Enzymes business unit at Genencor. "The collaboration with Huntsman Textile Effects on the Gentle Power Bleach system proves that we can create major improvements for the textile processing world. We are committed to continue to develop innovative enzyme solutions that will help increase performance and decrease the environmental footprint of this industry."

Genencor and Huntsman have a longstanding history in the textile industry. Genencor focuses on discovering, developing, and delivering highly innovative, efficient enzyme technologies for more sustainable textile processing. Huntsman Textile Effects is constantly developing new platforms that will improve fabric performance and reduce energy and water consumption in the textile industry. This joint effort culminating in the launch of Gentle Power Bleach exemplifies both companies' commitment to innovation geared towards improvements in both process sustainability and product performance.