An innovative polymer particle used for textile dying which massively reduces water and energy consumption

Project Information

H2COLOR-AUX

Grant agreement ID: 877137

DOI

10.3030/877137

Project closed

EC signature date 29 July 2019

Start date 1 September 2019

End date 31 December 2019

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

ECOFOOT SA
Portugal

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - H2COLOR-AUX (An innovative polymer particle used for textile dying which massively reduces water and energy consumption)

Reporting period: 2019-09-01 to 2019-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

A report by the GFA and the Boston Consulting Group estimated that in 2015, the global textiles and clothing industry was responsible for the consumption of 79B cubic metres of water, 1,715M tons of CO2 emissions and 92M tons of waste. The archaic dyeing processes are the prime contributor too much of the water, time and energy consumption that takes place in the textile industry. Increasing water scarcity and tightening emission standards coupled with growing population and consumer needs are demanding more efficient and faster production than ever. This is putting pressure on the environment and also increasing costs for the dyehouses. Ecofoot has developed H2COLOR-AUX, a dye auxiliary that prevents hydrolysis in the textile dyeing process thus helping the dyehouses save energy and reduces their energy consumption as well. In addition, it also reduces the dyeing process time and decreases the amount of harmful pollutants being created as part of the dyeing process. During the phase 2 project, Ecofoot will look to produce the H2COLOR-AUX for testing in-house and will also validate the performance of the H2COLOR-AUX in an industrial environment with two dyehouses based in Portugal and one dyehouse in Italy.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the feasibility assessment, Ecofoot has completed a full analysis of the technical and business potential of the H2COLOR-AUX. Throughout the project, Ecofoot has greatly expanded their knowledge regarding the technical objectives, potential target markets, and regulatory approval required for European market launch.
The key milestones achieved during the feasibility period was the securing of three dyehouses for testing and validation of the H2COLOR-AUX before market introduction. The company also analysed their production capabilities in conjunction with their scale up targets and decided it was advantageous to outsource the manufacturing of the H2COLOR-AUX to textile chemical producers around the world.
Ecofoot analysed in detail the go-to-market strategy to define the approach for accelerated and effective market uptake. It was concluded that initially, the H2COLOR-AUX will be sold to the European textile dyeing industry before expanding to the APAC region since this region has a burgeoning textile industry. The company expects to achieve revenues of €48M in year 5 and to reach a total of 35 total employees five years after commercialization.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The expected outcome of the project is to successfully execute the market validation and demonstrate that the H2COLOR-AUX is capable of generating massive savings in water and energy for the dyehouses. The wider adoption of H2COLOR-AUX will not only lead to reducing the costs for the dyehouses but will also reduce the environmental footprint of a highly polluting process. The deployment of the H2COLOR-AUX will also boost economic growth and create jobs within both Ecofoot and customer companies.

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