Less water, electricity, materials but same dyeing results at textile industries: A must for sustainability.

Blue sign-compliant & Oeko-Tex-approved vertical textile producer Kingwhale has come up with a progressive new method for dyeing textiles as part of its low-impact technology initiative to expend less of the earth's resources. Its new low-impact dyeing technology uses 15% less dyestuffs, 22% less electricity for heating & cooling, 50% less thermal energy to create steam & 60% less water for dye presentation & wastewater treatment, yet achieves same results as conventional dyeing methods, company reports. Kingwhale president James Huang says that by modifying molecules during construction of polyester fibres, yarns are able to take on dye more quickly, using less dyestuffs & without tremendous heat & pressure conventional dyeing requires. He says that added costs of process in terms of mechanics, time & man-hours, are offset by energy & material savings. Kingwhale is going to launch new technology with its fleece products, but company aims to eventually convert all dyeing to new low-impact technology process. Kingwhale's low impact technology dyeing method is a new way to colour yarns that significantly diminishes standard amount of heat, pressure & colorant material needed to achieve what conventional dyeing does, without sacrificing colour quality.

Pakistani firms move to deal with energy crisis

At an extraordinary general meeting of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association, majority of mills gave association chairman Tariq Mehmood mandate to settle issues of energy shortages & the worlds highest bank interest rates with the government. But if an agreement with government cannot be reached, chairman would then call for voluntary closure of textile sector until government resolved industry's issues, according to the association. Issues being faced by the industry are more adversely affecting spinners & smaller weaving & finishing mills than larger firms. Due to economies of scale enjoyed by large mills, they can afford not only to provide suitable seasonal backup energy generation, but also to average out extra costs incurred at this time. Also, a source at All Pakistan Textile Mills Association told WWD that larger mills incur fewer losses by keeping their units running than smaller mills. More important for large mills are their long-term relationships with major U.S. brands, which help justify short-term losses. These working relationships would be jeopardized if mills support rest of Pakistan textile industry in its decision for voluntary closure. Fearing U.S. importers would opt for regional competitors if closure goes ahead, these mills are distancing themselves from rest of association. All Pakistan Textile Mills Association has demanded restructuring of loans, reduction of interest rates & provision of an uninterrupted supply of electricity & gas to exportoriented companies. About 90% of sector is incurring losses & facing closure, as reported by association spokesman to local press. Additionally, total textile exports have already dropped by up to 20% due to unavailability of electricity & gas; impediment to market
Less water, electricity, materials but same dyeing results at textile industries- A must for sustainability. Compiled by: M. Rezaul Karim Tutul

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access; unfavourable financial & economic environment; poor law & order; terrorism within the country, & international travel advisories. Regardless of what association decides about voluntary closure of mills, we will continue our operations & not miss a single deadline, said Yousuf Abdullah, managing director of Sapphire Finishing Mills, based here. Associations speak more for spinners & smaller mills than for larger mills specializing in value-added products. Sapphire makes cotton & cotton stretch fabric for Gap, Levi's, Aropostale & American Eagle. Then it ships fabric to be made into garments to mills worldwide that are selected by brands. Some of these mills are located here, & others are in countries like Bangladesh, India & Egypt. Sapphire is profitable on an annual basis, so we average out our costs. Because every winter gas is diverted from industry to domestic consumers, we factor this in our planning, said Abdullah. We use furnace oil for steam & diesel for electricity. Since price of oil has gone down, our energy cost has been mitigated to a certain extent. Additionally, having invested in bio-fuel generation as a mill,we are also in a better position to withstand acute energy crisis. He explained, for processing mills, steam generation is a higher cost than electricity component. Rice husk, an indigenous & cheaply available raw material, is used at our mill to produce steam for operations & this has really worked out for us. This year, we will invest more in bio-fuels, reducing our energy bills & providing us with a reliable alternative to national utility companies. Smaller mills are not able to afford self power-generation & they have to rely on WAPDA as a backup when gas is not available. When that is not forthcoming, companies are left with no options, which is why so many of them have shut down, he pointed out. Speaking for not just ours but other large mills doing business with quality U.S. brands, I assure that we will continue our operations & no commitments to U.S. importers will be missed, stressed Abdullah. We factor the ground reality into our plans & are thus prepared to handle the seasonal energy shortage & higher costs it entails.

Less water, electricity, materials but same dyeing results at textile industries- A must for sustainability. Compiled by: M. Rezaul Karim Tutul

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