Archroma’s new sustainable product “clones” indigo.
At ITMA in Barcelona, the color and specialty chemicals company launched Diresul Smartdenim Blue, a liquid sulfur blue dye designed to mimic indigo.
The new product will be the core of Archroma’s Indigo Reflection, a coloration system that behaves like indigo, with a “more sustainable and efficient application process” compared to the real thing.
Diresul Smartdenim Blue can be applied in all the standard dyeing methods recommended for sulfur dyes, including pad-ox, pad-steam, exhaust, denim in all its variations. Additionally, the liquid sulfur dye meets the requirements of the major brand and retailer manufacturing restricted substances list and eco-labels like Cradle to Cradle, and it is aniline free, the company reports.
Archroma introduced sulfur-based Diresul RDT Indicolors dyes in 2007 to offer a water-saving alternative to indigo. But the company said the the new Diresul Smartdenim Blue has been designed to address the earlier technology’s limitations. Diresul Smartdenim Blue has been improved to achieve better color fastness to minimize back staining, and allows to create overall wash-downs much closer to actual indigo than any other dyestuff.
“Archroma offers with Diresul Smartdenim Blue an alternative dyestuff to create new blue denim articles that is aniline-free and light in water consumption, but also offers a reliable supply source,” said Albert Llort, head of Archroma’s global competence center for denim and special dyes.
With this new innovation, Archroma completes its spectrum of eco-advanced denim coloration solutions, which includes its water-saving Advanced Denim technology and the aniline-free pre-reduced liquid Denisol Pure Indigo liquid.
