Through its Green Fashion Initiative, retail giant H&M is installing three pioneering new dyeing and finishing technologies at the plant of Chorka Textile, one of its major suppliers based in Bangladesh.

The project marks a significant step in brand action within its supply chain and will see the technologies of Revozna, based in Lugano, Switzerland, imogo, of  Limhamm. Sweden, and Pluvia, of Corla, Turkey, all integrated into a continuous range at Chorka’s plant.

Revozona has developed technologies that prepare fabrics by washing and bleaching using ozone which is said to result in 92% savings in water consumption, 44% savings in chemicals and 49% savings in electric power to achieve a reduction in CO2 emissions of 92% compared to conventional ranges.

Similar impressive savings can be achieved compared to conventional jet dyeing systems with imogo’s Dye-Max spray dyeing technology which features an application unit consisting of a closed chamber containing a series of spray cassettes with precision nozzles for accurate and consistent coverage, in combination with a patented pro-speed valve that controls the volume to be applied.

The savings in treatment water the Dye-Max achieves are due to the extremely low liquor ratio of 0.5 litres per kilo of fabric. At the same time, the low liquor ratio and the spray process require considerably less auxiliary chemistry to start with, and all of it is used in the process, which also greatly reduces the production of waste water, with only 20 litres being required for wash at changeovers. The low liquid content in the fabric meanwhile minimises the energy needed for fixation.

Pluvia’s highly economical low temperature washing system then further removes unfixed dyes from the fabrics

“We are very excited about this partnership,” said Ziaur Rahman, production manager at H&M for Bangladesh and Pakistan. “We’re bringing together three disruptive technologies into one production line to test how much energy, water and chemicals we can save. Supporting and investing in new technologies is more important than ever to find scalable solutions to climate change.”

www.hmgroup.com