Tonello announced the launch of NoStone, an update on the stone-wash process developed with Levi Strauss & Co. The system is designed to overcome existing economic, mechanical and environmental limitations on the process.
After Levi’s set the goal of a viable, mechanical alternative to pumice stones, Tonello created multiple rounds of prototypes that were tested in the Levi’s production environment.
The NoStone system replaces the pumice stone with a stainless-steel abrasive drum, fastened to the washing machine that can create a variety of finishes through flexible abrasion adjustments. NoStone was developed to apply in all Tonello machines, enabling easy adoption throughout denim manufacturing facilities. The lining can also be removed, so that the machine can run normal washing and drying processes.
Tonello expects that the NoStone process will reduce water consumption, production costs, carbon footprint, processing time and manual labor. The process also eliminates dust and sludge generated from stones and reduces machine damage.
Bart Sights, senior director of technical innovation at Levi Strauss, said, “The results have been very positive and we anticipate a scalable, cost-effective and sustainable process in the very near future. This will be a win for our two companies, but also the industry as a whole. And perhaps, most importantly, the environment.”
