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Alchemie Unveils Its Pioneering Digital Textile Dyeing Production And Demonstration Facility in Taiwan

• By  Textile Excellence
• April 10, 2024

Alchemie Technology, a Cambridge-based clean digital textile dyeing technology pioneer, has today announced the opening of its first production and demonstration facility in Nantou, Taiwan, dedicated to woven polyester fabric. Alchemie’s Endeavour is an end-to-end process solution which intake undyed fabric and delivers dyed, fixed and softened high quality fabric as output. The introduction of Endeavour low carbon digital textile dyeing system sets a new standard for textile dyeing, challenging conventional practices.

Endeavour dyeing process claims to deliver significant sustainability benefits when compared with traditional dyeing processes. It facilitates the transition from wet dyeing process to dry processing, resulting up to 85% reduction in carbon emissions and 95% decrease in waste water. The launch of the demonstration and production hub in Taiwan comes after a decade long technology development and optimization. The company claims it to be a major leapfrog in their mission to eradicate pollution from textile dyeing and finishing processes.

The textile industry creates considerable environmental burden and predicated emissions could reach to 2.5 gigatons by 2050 under current practices, if not intervened, posing a grave threat to climate stability. To mitigate this risk and keep global warming below the critical threshold of 1.5°C, achieving net-zero emissions around 2050 is imperative. Additionally, as the world's second-largest producer of industrial waste water discharge, the textile sector directly impacts millions of individuals worldwide. This underscores the urgent need for sustainable practices and regulatory measures within the industry.

Alchemie’s brand-new Taiwan facility focuses on woven polyester fabrics and serves as a pivotal step in its journey. Its 2024 roadmap includes the development of production solutions for cotton woven and knits, as well as polyester with elastane.

Dr. Alan Hudd, Founder and CEO of Alchemie Technology, said "In light of the global fashion industry's staggering contribution of 2.1 billion metric tons of carbon emissions, equating to over 3% of global emissions, there is an urgent need for action. As the world increasingly prioritises environmental conservation, energy efficiency and carbon reduction, there's a growing demand for low carbon dyeing technology."

A traditional jet exhaust dyeing process uses large volumes of hot water, at temperatures of up to 135 degrees, for both dyeing and washing, requiring large amounts of energy generated by burning fossil fuels to create steam. At the core of Alchemie’s dry dyeing technology lies its patented digitally controlled piezoelectric nozzle, providing unparalleled precision. It achieves 100-micro registration of 1.2 billion drops per linear meter of dyed fabric, ensuring the highest level of accuracy.

Endeavour dyeing process claims to deliver significant sustainability benefits when compared with traditional dyeing processes. It facilitates the transition from wet dyeing process to dry processing, resulting up to 85% reduction in carbon emissions and 95% decrease in waste water.