To address the industry’s drive to decarbonize and reduce its insatiable thirst for water. NTX® has announced production-readiness of its revolutionary waterless coloration technology – NTX® Cooltrans®. The breakthrough is the result of merging innovations in chemistry and machinery to deliver precise and accurate colorization of nearly any fabric material without heat, up to 90% reduction in water use, 40% reduction in dye use, while retaining uncompromising color fastness, hand feel, and functional performance.
The news came with confirmation of a first major customer Adidas, and the affirmation that the results of its first production runs will be landing in the upcoming 2022 Fall and Winter collections. The disclosure marked a much-needed step forward for the fashion industry that has grown to consume nearly 80 billion cubic meters of water per year in a world with nearly 2.7 billion people experiencing water-scarcity.
On March 10, 2021, adidas announced “Own the Game” strategy and their commitments to decarbonization. Waterless technologies were identified by adidas as a key enabler in achieving those ambitious goals and, NTX® Cooltrans® has been selected as the first such technology to be integrated at scale within the adidas supply chain.
Kalvin Chong, Chairman and Co-founder of NTX® stated:
“FOR DECADES NOW, OUR INDUSTRY HAS BEEN CHASING THE ELUSIVE GOAL TO REDUCE THE STARTLING AMOUNT OF WATER AND ENERGY REQUIRED IN THE DYEING PROCESS OF TEXTILES, WE’RE PROUD TO SAY THAT WITH THE LAUNCH OF NTX® COOLTRANS™, WE’VE FINALLY TURNED THE CORNER.”
“The really exciting thing is the cost-competitive aspect of implementing NTX® Cooltrans® into the value chain for our brand partners. The savings associated with lower energy requirements and water usage allow us to bring this game-changing innovation to ecology conscious consumers around the globe without impacting the manufacturing-costs of the final products.”
NTX® highlighted that the dramatic improvements that NTX® Cooltrans® brings to the industry are not limited to energy and resource usage.
The introduction of NTX® Cooltrans® completely transforms the way dyeing works and opens up a whole new spectrum of materials for fashion brands to work with. The coloration process with NTX® Cooltrans® no longer resembles the millennia-old hot temperature dye baths that require mixing of cloth to achieve the desired output. NTX® Cooltrans® eliminates the tension and strain put on the materials and is therefore perfectly suitable to use with finer, lighter and more delicate materials.
The new dyeing environment also brings a welcome change to on-the-ground personnel involved in the coloration process and the surrounding community. The new NTX® Cooltrans® technology ready plants are compliant or exceed the rigorous guidelines restricting substances in chemical formulations which are used in the raw material and product manufacturing processes set forth by mRSL and ZDHC. The difference in facilities is night and day compared to the traditional dyeing plants. Plants utilizing NTX® Cooltrans® technology are quieter, require less energy, and eliminate the need for dangerous chemicals, making the facilities much safer and comfortable places to work in.
The entirety of NTX® production plants exclusively implement NTX® Cooltrans® technology. The company further stated that existing NTX® Cooltrans® production capacity in China (online since December 2020), and Cambodia (November 2021) will be expanded with the addition of a plant in Indonesia and several Vietnam facilities in 2022. NTX® signaled its intention to continue to invest in R&D and production facilities to help meet the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action commitment to cut emissions by half in the next decade.
About NTX®
NTX® is committed to creating revolutionary textile solutions through continuous research and innovation that are ecologically and economically sustainable. We are driven to achieve a zero-waste benchmark by conserving energy, reducing and eliminating water use, while never compromising performance or functionality. Our automated and modularizable system solutions allow for local-to-local production, further shortening lead times and cutting down on transportation emissions. Cost is often the unmentionable C word for sustainability, NTX® believes that sustainability and economics must go hand-in-hand to materialize clean eco-conscious solutions into reality.