Italian chemical firm Erca is rolling out a line of textile auxiliaries, produced using waste vegetable oils, that can serve as leveling and dispersing agents for dyeing both standard and recycled polyester fibers.
Marketed under the banner of Revecol, the products represent the “missing piece” in the circular textile economy, Erca noted in a statement.
“By reduction of the use of virgin materials, the circular economy is the most significant model for addressing environmental challenges such as global warming, air pollution, landfill, marine pollution and the protection of biodiversity,” it added.
Erca recently became the first chemical company in the world to receive a Global Recycled Standard certificate of conformity for producing chemicals derived from recycled raw materials.
It has also been a Bluesign system partner since 2009, meaning it aligns with some of the world’s strictest chemical safety requirements for textiles.
“This is one of our strength and the confirmation that Erca is always working in compliance with the latest rules and environmental requirements,” the company said.
Erca begins the Revecol process by collecting leftover vegetable oil from household and restaurants, then “upcycles” it into the auxiliaries, which also include softeners, emulsifiers and detergents.
Revecol’s launch, it said, follows “the success” of Erca’s ReactEVO, a soaping system for cellulosic fibers reduces energy consumption by up to 70 percent, water use by up to 50 percent and treatment time by up to 20 percent. All auxiliaries in the system are compliant with Oeko-Tex Standard 100 and Global Organic Textile Standard while providing results and color fastness that “exceed even the best achievements of todays’s standard process,” Erca said.