Italy's Officina39 unveils textile eco-innovations at ITMA 2023

This artwork, originally unveiled at the Arte al Centro exhibition, was created as part of Circul Art 2, a project curated by Cittadellarte, Fondazione Pistoletto of Biella, and produced in partnership with Officina39. The project aims to amalgamate artistic production, fashion, and business around the theme of sustainability, Officina39 said in a press release.

Ryts Monet's artwork features an image of a world map crafted through a process of reduction and attrition on a denim fabric base. The resultant image depicts an Earth exhausted and shredded, symbolising the effects of hyper-consumerism and massive resource extraction. The artwork serves as a poignant reminder of the impact that the current market's insatiable consumption has and will continue to have on a local and global scale.

The company is presenting Recycrom Ready to Dye at the exhibition. It's a range of 15 standard colours, sourced from a minimum of 65 per cent recycled textile pre- and post-consumer materials, usable on various fibres. It complements Recycrom Pure, which creates custom dyes from brands' own textile waste. Together, they provide sustainable dyeing options to fashion brands, significantly reducing the use of virgin materials.

On June 9 at 2 pm, Andrea Venier, managing director of Officina39, will take part at the forum ‘Transforming the World Of Textile Colourants Through Green Chemistry’ to illustrate to the ITMA audience the potential of Recycrom—the recycled dyestuffs from textile waste. The talk is part of the review ‘The Rise of Recycled, Natural and Bio Dyes and Their Positive Impact on the Environment.’

When it comes to upcycling, however, Officina39's creativity can find resources outside the world of fashion, as demonstrated by Ecobinder R Series, the recycled binder from laminated glass. Being an innovative product made of 100 per cent post-consumer recycled polymer obtained from the recycling of windshields and other types of safety glass, this free-of-phthalates binder has lower CO2 emissions than oil-based alternatives, while guaranteeing high reactivity, strong adhesive properties, great flexibility, and soft handle. Applicable in printing, spray, coating, and dyeing processes, it can be coloured with normal pigments or combined with Recycrom, for a total circular solution.

Officina39 is also presenting the Aqualess Activator, a waterless solution part of its Aqualess mission to decrease water consumption while maintaining performance. The Aqualess Activator, a 100 per cent pumice stone-free solution, works at room temperature in conventional machines to give ‘stone wash effects’ to indigo and black denim without using water. This technology reduces consumption, creates 90 per cent less sludge than pumice stone, and prevents machinery damage, the release added.

Furthermore, MadeToFade is a technology for creating faded worn look directly on dyed fabric by continuous application method, producing a vintage effect always on trend in a more sustainable way. Officina39 Novapret Worn, MadeToFade, is the vintage finishing agent that adds value to dyed fabric through easy and simple application, which decreases water and energy consumption, for a unique washed look. Suitable as post-treatment after conventional dyeing (for example, reactive or direct).

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DP)