SPONSORED CONTENT - Led by the younger generations, consumers today are more vocal than ever about environmental causes. Many now also factor sustainability into their purchasing decisions and expect businesses to be involved and help solve big challenges, like climate change.

Achieving truly green fashion is a complex and multi-faceted challenge, but the textile and apparel industry has made great strides towards sustainability in recent years.

Step change in sustainable dyeing

Released in 2010, the AVITERA® SE dye range revolutionized cellulosic (CO) processing by delivering both performance and sustainability. Developed by Huntsman Textile Effects and based on the first new reactive dye molecules to be invented for almost two decades, the AVITERA® SE dyes allow mills to dramatically reduce the dyeing and washing-off cycle, offering water and energy savings of up to 50% and slashing carbon emissions by up to 50% as well.

The breakthrough AVITERA® SE dyes are poly-reactive and have a high diffusion rate and a fixation rate that is very close to the exhaustion rate. This means that only a very small amount of the hydrolyzed (or water-diluted) dye remains on the fabric to get washed off. This hydrolyzed dye can thus be removed using less water and at a much lower temperature.

The ongoing evolution of CO dyeing

While the first-generation AVITERA® SE dyes set the benchmark for sustainabilityin the textile industry, the second generation expanded the range’s colour palette. “The release of AVITERA® Rose, the third generation of the revolutionary dye range, has further enhanced the economic sustainability of AVITERA® and delivered unrivalled environmental benefits, outstanding operation performance and exceptional overall fastness,” says Anish Paliwal, Global Marketing Manager of CEL and DA.

Improved economic sustainability

Offering long-lasting brilliancy across a broad gamut of bluish-red shades, AVITERA® ROSE SE brings eco-friendly performance and cost savings together. The innovative new dye significantly outperforms the best available dyeing technologies for CO fibres and blends.

AVITERA® ROSE SE not only slashes the water and energy required for production, but also delivers excellent right-first-time performance, with outstanding compatibility, levelling properties and on-tone build-up. Anish added: “The cost-effective formulation reduces recipe costs for the medium-dark shades while both minimising processing costs and eliminating reprocessing. It also increases mill output up 25% or more."

Sustainability credentials

The AVITERA® dyes are part of the Huntsman’s HIGH IQ® Lasting Color Eco colour-retention program. They can be used to produce textiles with high chlorine resistance, so they retain their intense colour even after repeated home laundering. For example, Huntsman has combined the HIGH IQ® colour-retention program with its AVITERA® BLACK SE reactive dye to help mills, brands and retailers meet global demand for eco-friendly deep black shades that look newer for longer.

Mills following the HIGH IQ® Lasting Black Eco program also reduce their environmental footprint, using less water and energy in processing, and can produce fabrics and garments free from p-chloroaniline (PCA), at the current detection limit of 5 ppm. Like all products in the HIGH IQ® quality assurance program, the AVITERA® SE range is fully compliant with the most stringent industry and brand-specific restricted substances lists.

It is bluesign®-approved and is suitable for STANDARD 100 by OKEO-TEX®-certified textile products.As brands increasingly need to show consumers that their commitment to sustainability stands up to scrutiny, certifications like theseare becoming even more important. Businesses that can reach these standards in an economical way will safeguard their bottom line and be part of protecting the Earth for future generations.

For more information, please visit: www.huntsman.com/textile_effects