The EcoWash project José Machado & Gabriel Pontes
Diversify produc6on towards high-‐quality, speciality
and high-‐tech tex6les and niche products Lodz, Poland
General Context
Pizarro is a Portuguese textile company, doing full package services for large brands, retailers and dealing with EU and US markets mainly.
General Context
• Capacity of washing 25,000 garments per day; • Dyeing capacity – 10,000 kg per day; • Finishing and logistics -15 000 Denim + 15 000
Knits/wool/mohair per day; • Printing – about 10,000 per day; • 650 workers
Silicosis Kills 50th Worker At Turkish Denim Sandblasting Factory Your sandblasted Armani jeans could be killing people. (http://www.greenprophet.com)
Turkey: Sandblasting Jeans for ‘Distressed’ Look Proved Harmful for Textile Workers Sandblasting denim jeans has long been banned in Europe and the U.S.
(http://www.nytimes.com)
Jeans with a distressed, already-worn look have been popular since the 1990s, but one way the effect is achieved is by blasting them with sand - and this can give factory workers an incurable lung disease. So should we stop buying them? (http;//www.bbc.co.uk)
General Context
Pizarro was the first to discover a technology with an Italian and Spanish partners capable of crea6ng the vintage look in any kind of garment: • with 0% chemicals, • without the sandblas6ng process and • saving water. So the process is 100% ecological.
General Context
The idea started in 2011 and when some brands responded to an incident in Turkey and the health problems that emerged due to the use of silica in the sand.
General Context With a manufacturer in Italy, they both start exploring ice. In 2012, they receive the first Icelite machine in the world. The machine uses CO2 to create ice that is store at -70°C
Those small particles are used to create an abrasion blast that gives the vintage look to the garments.
General Context
The new ICELITE Process
General Context
The effects and final look that in the garments is due, is not only with the Icelite, but also mixing ozone washes and laser washes. It is called EcoWash.
The savings are significant:
- 70 litres of water per garment and 150 grams of chemicals per garment
General Context The company will also be in a position to use the pure recovered CO2 to treat the wastewater created by other textile processes.
This effect takes a huge economical effect to the company lowering significantly the consumption of natural gas.
If the needs of the machine are passed the company can sell the excess CO2.
Stakeholders Involved
• Own investment in R&D • Ins6tute of Design • Several Scien6fic Projects with University of Minho (Chemistry
and Textile Engineering) • CITEVE • Operational programme ON.2 - O Novo Norte - North
Portugal Regional Operational Programme 2007/2013 • National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF)
2007/2013 and the new cycle of the European Union structural funding for Portugal.
• Two partners (Spain and Italy)
Financial Framework • 200 000 euros. • The goal is to build new machines and the budget is 1
million euros. • By year, It is estimated that the process saves 600,000 kgs
of chemicals and 280 million litters of water. • It has also a huge contribution to save the environment and
to increase human like qualify. • Pizarro has maintained 650 jobs in the last few years
despite the international and national crisis. • On the other hand, Pizarro has developed its own R&D
department, searching for innovative production processes.
PLUSTEX policy priority area?
It has a significant impact in the policy priority area ”Diversify production towards high-quality, speciality and high-tech textiles and niche products” but also in “Fostering eco-innovation and social responsibility in the sector”.
Success Factors The company was awarded in the tender Inovatêxtil 2013 in category “services” organized by CITEVE. The Eco-Wash process was distinguished with the Icelite process. CITEVE organized the competition in 2012 and 2013.
The main objectives of the competition were captivating competitors for the presentation of new ideas, materials, products, applications, services and business concepts.
There are difficulties in getting financial support through European Projects or national ones. It is also important to reduce bureaucracy.
Difficulties
The market becomes more and more exigent.
It is very important to discover new forms, more ecological and efficient, to improve production processes
Remarks on durability
Added Value • Ability to bring companies to innovate and improve
business process • Ability to stimulate innovation and develop new industrial
process • The promotion of knowledge exchange and innovation
through the universities, municipalities, non-profit organizations, technological parks and government
• Reducing the risk of spoiling the environment and harm the health of workers
GPs should be relevant to any appropriate organization
• Not all companies are able to invest in R & D. • There are many public and private structures, able to
support business. • There is a political will. • Access to finance and support is difficult to achieve. • Companies are beginning to collaborate between them • The market requires finding foreign markets. • This has helped companies to have foreign partners
more easily. • It is a way to preserve jobs and to be in a competitive
market.
Conditions and requirements of GPs transferability
It is an example of how public policy and funding could be used to potentiate innovative ideas. It is also an example on how collaboration between public and private organizations can help in developing innovative and ecological process. The main challenge to several companies is in making investments in R & D with the support of local entities.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
José Machado & Gabriel Pontes University of Minho & AMAVE
Guimarães, PORTUGAL
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