Textile and leather colorant supplier DyStar reported several milestones Tuesday when it published its sustainability report for 2014, including a 21.5 percent reduction in energy consumption—surpassing its target four years ahead of schedule.
In 2010, DyStar announced its first sustainability study and set out concrete goals to lower its energy and water consumption and waste-water and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 20 percent by 2020.
In addition to shrinking its energy use, the company cut its GHG intensity by 14.8% last year. And while a shift in the product mix towards more water-intensive products saw water consumption increase slightly last year, water recycling improved by 9 percent.
“We closely monitor our resources consumption and our major production plans have reported a continuous reduction in energy intensity over the last four years,” said CEO Eric Hopmann in a statement, noting that DyStar’s facility in China’s Nanjing city recycled 83,480 kilograms of waste, or nearly 184,042 pounds. “We take pride in this achievement as we operate in a challenging environment that requires a broad and dynamic product mix due to the constantly changing market and consumer requirements.”
Further 2014 highlights included the launch of Realan Black MF-PV for black wool—free from AOX (adsorbable organic halogens) and heavy materials—and Levafix Eco cellulose dyes—free from p-chloroaniline (p-CA) and other regulated amines.
“We understand the fast-evolving consumer awareness towards increasing need for more information as to how their clothes have been manufactured, the extent of use of chemicals, conditions in factories producing these clothes. This, coupled with increasing number of regulations worldwide in chemicals, dyes and textile industries, has leveraged our sustainability vision to improve our own production processes, develop innovative products and services and promote sustainable practices along the entire textile value chain,” Hopmann continued.
To that end, DyStar is in the process of developing an Apparel Index that will take a full lifecycle view of a garment and identify all major social and environmental impacts along the production chain.
In the meantime, the company will continue to support DyeCoo’s efforts to use recycled CO2 gas instead of water to permeate textiles with dyes, as well as BlueXpert, Bluesign’s system to improve the efficiency of resources used in the coloring process.