Dow Corning features new product for denim processing

Dow Corning, a global producer of silicon-based performance-enhancing materials exhibited a new patent pending granulated silicone technology for fabric processing at AATCC’s Fashion Garment Washing symposium held during  December 12-13, 2007, in Long Beach, California, USA, at the Renaissance Hotel.

Dow Corning® GP 8000 Eco Softener offers a unique combination of properties that enables denim processors to combine previously incompatible steps. This eliminates separate washing requirements, thus reducing water usage significantly, energy requirements, utility costs, and processing time, and increasing productivity. GP 8000 Eco Softener has the potential to save up to 15 liters of water on every pair of jeans – resulting in sustainable benefits for brand owners, garment processors, and textile formulators worldwide.

“Fashion and comfort still remain the main drivers for selecting apparel,” said Anthony Feng, Dow Corning’s global industry director for textiles. “But today’s consumer also considers the ecological effects of producing these fabrics.”

Traditionally, processing and finishing denim to achieve the well-worn, soft, comfortable look and feel consumers prefer require large amounts of water and energy. The multi-stage process consists of dyeing to modify the shade of the fabric, using enzymes for a faded look, bleaching for better contrast, and then treating the fabric with chemicals or softeners to change its feel. However, with process step-saving, water-saving, and energy-saving GP 8000 Eco Softener, consumers can now count wearing denim jeans as an environmentally sound activity.

“Leading international apparel firms are keen on switching to this silicone technology for their manufacturing processes to create textiles for their environmentally conscious customers,” said Feng. “We are working with them to ensure that their sustainability needs, as well as those of their customers, are met exactly.”

Dow Corning offers a comprehensive selection of proven silicon-based performance enhancers and process aids for textiles and is breaking new ground in the realm of eco-innovation. In addition to materials, the company provides supportive services and solutions tailored to the specific business and sustainability needs of the global textiles industry.