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Dyeing, Printing, Processing

Waterless Revolution How India’s SUPRAUNO® Technology Is Redefining Global Textile Dyeing Efficiency

• By  Debanjan Chakraborty
• November 19, 2025

India’s textile sector, among the world’s largest, is under growing pressure towards improving profitability along with balancing sustainability. Conventional dyeing and finishing operations account for nearly 20% of global industrial water pollution, consuming about 50 to 100 litres of water per kilogram of fabric and generating high chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biological oxygen demand (BOD) loads. In this context, Dr. Swapneshu Baser, Managing Director of Deven Supercriticals Pvt. Ltd., is leading a quiet but powerful revolution through SUPRAUNO®, a waterless, supercritical carbon dioxide (CO₂)-based dyeing technology poised to reshape how fabrics are coloured and finished.

A Breakthrough in Waterless Dyeing

Indigenously developed and internationally patented in the United States, Europe, and India, SUPRAUNO® represents a significant leap in the most demanding textile processing step of dyeing and finishing. Unlike earlier supercritical CO₂ technologies, which were mainly limited to polyester and required specialised dyes, SUPRAUNO® allows the use of conventional dyes and their trichrome recipes to colour wide range of fibre types, including cotton, viscose, nylon, acrylic, wool, polyester, and their blends, without the use of water in the dyeing step.

Dr. Baser explains that the process employs a novel step of pre-coating the dyes on the textile before exposing it to supercritical CO₂ medium, ensuring enhanced dye solubility, superior dye penetration, high fixation efficiency, and uniform colouration. Compared to traditional soft-flow dyeing, SUPRAUNO® achieves 96% reduction in auxiliary chemicals, 67% lower energy use, 76% water savings, and 75% shorter processing time for polyester–cotton blends. The SUPRAUNO® system’s intrinsic higher process efficiency results in a smaller footprint, faster cycle times, and also make it about 50% cheaper to install than comparable European CO2-based dyeing plants.

The technology, already installed at commercial scale at Arvind Limited in partnership with H&M, has attracted international attention for its ability to meet Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) targets without large & expensive effluent treatment plants.

Reducing Pollution At the Source

India’s textile clusters in Tirupur, Ludhiana, and Surat consume millions of litres of groundwater daily and struggle with ZLD compliance. While reverse osmosis (RO) systems help recover water, they also produce toxic brine that often seeps into soil and groundwater. Dr. Baser argues that such end-of-pipe solutions are not sustainable in the long run.

“Instead of subsidising ETPs and ZLD units that clean waste after creation, incentives should support technologies that prevent pollution at the source,” he says. “SUPRAUNO® eliminates the need for salt in cotton dyeing and avoids reduction clearing chemicals in polyester processing, which are deemed two of the biggest pollution culprits in Indian textile effluent.”

According to preliminary Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) data, the technology can cut the impacts in terms of kg CO₂ equivalent by about 60% compared to conventional processes. It also significantly reduces the need for wastewater treatment infrastructure, making sustainability achievable for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Challenges in Adoption and Global Comparison

While countries like China, Bangladesh and other South Asian countries are seen to be more adaptive to modern technologies, India is very slow towards sustainable dyeing initiatives across its clusters. The reasons, Dr. Baser notes, include limited government incentives, lack of awareness among policymakers, and hesitancy among brands to prioritise sustainability over cost.

Dr. Baser points out that despite India’s ambitious PM MITRA Park initiative and sustainability rhetoric at forums like BharatTex, micro-innovators remain unsupported. “We developed, patented & commercialised a fully indigenous, Atmanirbhar technology, and for its timely, global implementation, government / institutional support is critical,” he advocates.

The Road Ahead

Industry experts agree that the next phase of textile growth will hinge on resource efficiency and carbon accountability. European buyers are increasingly demanding traceable, low-impact production, and technologies like SUPRAUNO® can position India as a global leader in sustainable textile processing.

Dr. Baser envisions a future where dyeing is entirely waterless and circular, urging both brands and governments to share responsibility. “Sustainability is not just about recycling fibres; it must also include how we process them. Preventing pollution is smarter, cheaper, and more sustainable than treating it later,” he concludes. If India embraces such innovations at scale, its textiles may soon stand for something the world desperately needs, and colour without contamination.

Dr. Baser points out that despite India’s ambitious PM MITRA Park initiative and sustainability rhetoric at forums like BharatTex, micro-innovators remain unsupported. “We developed, patented & commercialised a fully indigenous, Atmanirbhar technology, and for its timely, global implementation, government / institutional support is critical,” he advocates.