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HeiQ Clean Tech
HeiQ Materials
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More ecological polyester dyeing with HeiQ Clean Tech

This textile technology enables a more eco-friendly and effective polyester dyeing process while at the same time optimizing textile product quality. HeiQ Clean Tech – make the sustainable choice!

The textile industry and water pollution

Second only to agriculture, the textile industry is the heaviest industrial consumer of water as well as one of its biggest polluters. Each year, more than 5,000,000,000 liters of fresh water are used to dye textiles, and 17-20% of industrial water pollution comes from textile dyeing and finishing treatments of fabrics. To reduce the environmental pollution of the industry, it is crucial to find solutions that allow reduced water use.

 

For many years, the textile industry has tried to identify new ways of reducing water consumption, but there was little progress, even though the pressure on the textile industry from governments, NGOs and consumers to do a better job of protecting the environment continually increases.

 

Taking a pragmatic view, industry insiders realize that the widespread adoption of existing but often costly solutions is years away. The dye industry is typically low-margin and the new machines required to apply existing solutions are often expensive. Therefore, pragmatic, feasible and cost-friendly solutions are needed to quickly address the current environmental problem.

HeiQ Clean Tech – make the sustainable choice

HeiQ Clean Tech is a pragmatic and cost-friendly solution: For its integration, no equipment changes are required. This “drop in” technology simply allows the substitution of one dye auxiliary chemical with HeiQ Clean Tech.

 

The technology is engineered for polyester dyeing. Polyester now accounts for 54.5% (53,700,000 metric tons) of the world’s annual fiber production (98,500,000 metric tons) – most of it eventually ending up in dyehouses. The process of dyeing is a key part of the textile value chain.

 

HeiQ Clean Tech reduces a textile mill’s water consumption by 30% and allows a 30-50% faster dyeing time. This helps to increase productivity by 30% and reduces 30% of energy use and CO2 emissions.

The polyester dyeing process with HeiQ Clean Tech takes only two thirds of the time of the standard polyester dyeing process (© HeiQ)

HeiQ Clean Tech extends the manufacturing capacity of dyeing mills with existing equipment, reducing the need for new machinery and saving CO2 emissions and the consumption of resources, which result from the production of dyeing machines. Land and other resources can be used in alternative ways to satisfy other needs such as food.

 

Lastly, the product itself produces a better dyed polyester, more colorfast, with deeper shades and less dyestuff utilized. Less dyestuff is released during home wash and the enhanced color consistency extends the product’s use by end-consumers.

 

Overall, the technology helps textile mills to considerably reduce their environmental footprint, while at the same time saving costs and improving product quality. The added benefit of saving money when using HeiQ Clean Tech is an incentive to make the “green” choice.

 

Who’s it for?

HeiQ Clean Tech helps textile mills to considerably reduce their environmental footprint when dyeing polyester, saving dyeing time, energy and water, which also adds up to cost savings.

 

HeiQ Clean Tech permits high process flexibility thanks to its suitability for most standard polyester dyeing machines and can be applied to wovens, knits and yarns.

 

An estimated 500,000 polyester dye jets exist in ca. 10,000 dyehouses in over 100 countries – a clearly laid out number that can be “converted” to a better technology.

 

So far, HeiQ Clean Tech was integrated into the textile manufacturing process of textile mills in Italy, Germany, Spain, Turkey, China, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, India, Taiwan, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Vietnam.

Hangtags help to communicate the eco-friendly and

high-quality process to consumers (© HeiQ)

 

The technology adoption needs the backing of the entire textile value chain to penetrate the market quickly. It is estimated that around 100 brands dictate the manufacturing parameters for around 80% of the total volumes of manufactured polyester today. HeiQ therefore tries to push the technology into the market by having well-known brands mandating them to their vendors.

 

Besides providing textile effect, HeiQ also supports its costumer through Ingredient Branding & Marketing. Textile products dyed with HeiQ Clean Tech are high-quality and more sustainably manufactured. HeiQ helps its brand partners to communicate this added value to the end consumer through a hangtag.

 

Meet the company behind the solution

With headquarters in Schlieren, Zurich, HeiQ is a three-in-one company: scientific research, specialty materials manufacturing and consumer ingredient branding, all for improving the lives of billions of people by perfecting the everyday product of textile.

 

HeiQ was founded in 2005 during a hike in the Swiss Alps by Carlo Centonze (ETH) and Dr. Murray Height (MIT) as a spin-off of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich (ETH).

HeiQ founders Carlo Centonze (left) and Dr. Murray Height (© HeiQ)

Innovative and disruptive in a sustainable way, HeiQ is a leader in textile innovation creating some of the most effective, durable and high-performance textile technologies on the market today.

 

HeiQ engages with textile brands along the entire value chain to innovate, differentiate products and capture the added value at the point of sale.

 

HeiQ is a multinational, textile effects company and employs 85 professionals of 23 nationalities in 11 countries on 5 continents, with innovation partners from over 50 countries.

 

Nominierte Lösung: HeiQ Clean Tech

Firma: HeiQ Materials AG

Weitere Informationen: www.heiq.com