Applied using the Novara digital finishing system of Alchemie, HeiQ’s new Life technology derived from peppermint oil uses 84% less energy and 92% less water to add sustainable and durable odour control to fabrics.

With HeiQ Life, odour causing bacteria are inhibited from growth on the textile surface to keep garments fresh, clean, and comfortable. The treatment is especially suitable for apparel but also designed for home textiles. It can be used on all textiles and is compatible with other finishes, including fabric softeners and wicking agents. It is durable for up to 50 washes.

Alchemie’s Novara uses high velocity jetting to achieve the drastic reduction in energy and water usage compared to the conventional padding process. In trials, Novara required 0.4 kWh energy and 0.06 litres of water per kilo, compared to 2.6 kWh energy and 0.8 litres of water using a padder system.

A low energy, single sided digital application system enables functional finishes to be applied at up to 20 times the concentration of traditional processes – with a more even application and higher quality.

“Consumers are all too aware of the need to improve sustainability, but brands and manufacturers need to lead the change and invest in more sustainable textile production methods,” said Simon Kew, managing director of Alchemie. “Annually, approximately one million tons of chemicals are used for applying functional finishes to apparel and home textiles. The textile industry is one of the biggest polluters on the planet, yet it is also one that can achieve the biggest and quickest amount of change.

“Our low energy, digital finishing technology, together with HeiQ’s plant-based odour control, delivers high performance sustainable finishing which dramatically reduces energy, water, and environmental impact, while also reducing production costs.”

“Consumers typically wash apparel when they smell,” added Carlo Centonze, co-founder and CEO of HeiQ. “Odor-free textiles will be laundered less frequently using less resources because washing represents over 30% of the environmental footprint of a garment.”

www.alchemietechnology.com

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