Ep. 151: Chemical bans in textile finishing

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Ep. 151: Chemical bans in textile finishing

WTiN speaks with Begoña Garcia, environmental impact measurement director at Jeanologia, about chemical bans in the textile finishing sector.

WTiN: Hello and welcome to WTiN's podcast, all about the regulations and legislation the textile and apparel industry needs to know.

I'm Abi, WTiN's Features Editor and your podcast host. In this series, we speak to the experts who are navigating and aiding navigation in this complex arena. From digital product passports and ESPR to exports and international trade, brands and manufacturers have a lot to keep on top of. So each month we speak to the experts about what the textile industry should be focusing on and the tools available to them.

Today we are joined by Begoña Garcia, Environmental Impact Measurement Director at Jeanologia. Jeanologia comes from a background of consultancy and denim finishing. Today the Spanish company is a technology manufacturer offering sustainable denim solutions. and creating new operating models. We speak about how sustainability in denim finishing has evolved and what brands and consumers want from their garments. Begoña delves into chemical bans and what governments should be prioritising when it comes to chemicals in the textile finishing sector.

Hi Begoña, thank you so much for joining me today on WTiN's Textile Innovation Podcast. Please could you speak us through your background and your work at Jeanologia as Environmental Impact Measurement Director.

Garcia: Yeah, thanks. Thanks for the invitation, first of all. And well, you know, I joined Jeanologia like 20 years ago. And so all my professional career has taken place here. So I started as a technical consultant, helping the garment finishers to optimise their production processes. So over the years, I have been involved in many different projects and different roles at Jeanologia, but always positions related to processing and manufacturing, and very close also to our customers. In 2009, I proposed to the Jeanologia CEO the idea of developing the EIM, which is a software tool that measures the environmental impact of the garment finishing processes, with the aim of helping the garment finishers, producers, to produce in a more sustainable way, and as a medium to communicate effectively within the supply chain. Since that time, I have been leading the development and the evolution of the EIM, updating the tool, supporting our users, and working with a reduced group of brands and laundries to build a robust measurement criteria. And through this work, what we are really looking for is to support the acceleration of the sustainable transformation of the industry.

WTiN: Sounds fantastic. And just thinking about that, how has that drive towards sustainability in the textile industry, but particular denim and finishing, changed and evolved since that time in 2009 that you proposed the EIM?

Garcia: So that's a very interesting question, you know, because when we started working in EIM in 2009, really sustainability was not at the agenda of every brand. of course it was not among the priorities of the manufacturers. A few years later it really started to become a central topic and it turned into something strategic for the brands and almost a must for the industry. Also at the time not clear rules about what was sustainable and what was not sustainable, right? And then, you know, like different initiatives such as the CDHC or Sustainable Apparel Coalition, now Cascade, that were there really, you know, helping raise awareness about the environmental impact of the textile production and underlining the need the need that as an industry we have to change the way that we produce. And particularly denim was really pointed out, I would say that with a good reason, as one of the dirtiest and most polluting segments of the textile manufacturing. But from the other side, denim has always been very very innovative industry and there were already quite a lot of technologies available and tools like the EIM has been, you know, helping the industry and making this real transformation. So the learning that was like the DTS industry become like one real example of that the transformation was possible. So, I would say that I agree. seen this evolution of the industry towards more sustainable production that has been really relevant during, I would say, the last 10 years.

There's still a lot to do, but I feel that we have already walk a good part of the road, you know, and that we are in the right direction.

WTiN: Now that's really interesting, I know that denim does can get a bit of a bad name when it comes to textile manufacturing in terms of the finishes, the dyes that are used, but today thinking more recently what are the key things that brands and consumers want from their denim garments in your opinion, but not only just in terms of those particular designs but in terms of impact, traceability, sustainability as that consumer awareness has continued to grow.

Garcia: So, at the end, we are in the fashion business. So, really, the look and the design of the product will always be a key decision driver. But today, how the garment is made and what are the impacts that are occurring during its production are becoming almost as important as the product. So, that is why tools such as EIM are so necessary, right? Because these tools help us to understand what is the environmental impact of a garment. And they are giving, you know, also additional decision elements so that not only a brand, but a brand can decide what to offer based on the product group.

Of course, price is always a key driver, but also, you know, about the environmental impact. And also for the final consumer, it's important to have this information to decide what to buy. And, you know, I think that that could be kind of the more relevant changes that are already happening, but that they become more and more popular. And also, you know, I think that in that case, regulation, especially in Europe, it's playing an important role in defining, you know, what is important and in ensuring transparency and preventing greenwashing.

WTiN: Thank you, Begoña. I just want to ask you about Jeanologia’s EIM platform. Could you tell us a bit more about your work in the denim industry and what the platform offers the industry? I know you've mentioned bits and pieces as we've spoken so far.

Garcia: Yeah. So the EIM is a software that measures the environmental impact of the garment finishing processes. It measures the impact, considering four different categories. So, water impact, energy impact, chemical impact and worker health. So, once we are, you know, based on a process description, that comes directly from the manufacturer, the system can compare these results against a benchmark and this allows the system to classify a process, taking into consideration these four categories, into a process of low, medium or high impact. It uses a very simple language because it uses a traffic light system where you can identify green as low -impact processes, orange medium -impact, and red low -impact. you know, those processes that absolutely need to be improved. So, this is a very simple way for the supplier to understand and for the manufacturer to understand where are the points that needs improvement and it's also bringing these additional benefits or additional decision elements to the brands and also to the final consumers.

WTiN: Thank you so much. And I just wanted to, you mentioned previously about organisations such as ZDHC and Cascale. Recently, the ZDHC Foundation added potassium permanganate to its chemical watchlist. I apologise if I'm pronouncing that wrong. Potassium permanganate. I'm not going to try it again. Please could you speak us through the significance of that and the significance of those chemical watchlist, because as you just mentioned, EMI does also think about those chemicals.

Garcia: Yes. I think that this is a very important signal for the denim industry. Potassium permanganate has historically been widely used in finishing to create those localized billeting effects and those vintage looks. And it's so popular because it's very effective and very accessible. But it has high health concerns, especially when it is used through display applications, where the workers are really exposed to the narration of the product and this gives direct contact. And really, when you are working in a factory that is using this technique, there are moments where the atmosphere is completely unbreathable. So in the EIM version 2 that was released in 2023, we already highlighted the needs of phasing out potassium permanganate in any form and no matter how it is used, right, by giving the worst possible chemical impact score. But also, you know, going a little bit forward, we assigned the worst possible score for what worker impact when the permanganate was applied through a spray. And we really did that because we wanted from one side to visualise the problem, right, related to the use of potassium permanganate, but also to motivate adoption of safer alternatives. I think that this inclusion of the potassium permanganate in the CDHC watch list reinforces the need to accelerate this transition and adopt any of the, you know, available alternatives that are out there, which are, I would say, today pretty much. For example, at Jeanologia, we use laser or some technologies to replace potassium permanganate, but there are also safer chemical alternatives out there that can be used and achieve the same garment aesthetics at the end.

Yeah, I think this is really good news for the workers, right, because we will be able to support a safer working environment by replacing the potassium permanganate and the CDHC. addition in the watch list. It's helping to visualize those problems and accelerating this transformation. No, that sounds great and fantastic that it is highlighting those issues and the fact that are alternatives out there.

WTiN: But speaking more broadly, you did mention this before about regulation, particularly in Europe. Could you speak more broadly about those bans on chemicals and income and environmental regulation, how that is helping shape the finishing sector and maybe even potentially accelerating those alternatives that you just mentioned, such as the safer chemical use?

Garcia: Yeah, so I think that really regulations are pushing the industry towards more structured decision making. And there is this requirement of understanding more about the processes, understanding more about how these garments are produced, so measure impacts in an accurate way. and give much more relevance to this how the product is made than up to today. So really changing this way of looking at a product, not just as something nice to wear, but as something nice and that has been produced in a safer way. From other side, I think that, and especially in the textiles industry, I really have the feeling that we are much more ahead than the legislations, no? And the potassium permanganate, I think it's a great example of this, you know, of this productivity of the textile industry, no? The alternatives are available for quite a long time now and also many brands and many manufacturers had already decided to stop the use of permanganate years ago. The legislations and these bans making other sectors of the industry embracing these new alternatives and opportunities to change, right? So really, I think this kind of really helping to the acceleration of this absolutely necessary change that we have to put in place.

WTiN: And that's really interesting that you said you feel like the textile industry is ahead of the regulations. And just thinking about that, what do you think governments and regulators should be prioritizing, particularly in the area of Denning finishing and chemicals in fashion?

Garcia: So I think that over the last years, this has been also a significant progress in identifying those unhealthy practices within the industry and especially within the denim industry. And also today, we have much more knowledge, but also much more consensus about what is sustainable and what is not. So I believe that now is the step to focus on measuring this impact of products, more than focusing on measuring the facilities. But, you know, it's also necessary to have this product analysis based on the process. So I really think that we need to move from this big picture, right, that which could be comparable to an MCA and zoom into the details at a product level, right? And in this case, you know, it is complementary to the big picture, and it can be tools such as the EIM, for example. And I also think that it's absolutely necessary to do this, to be effective, effectively implementing and effectively communicating to, at the end, the final consumer, that we move from this export only language, right, to something that is very simple, more accessible to anyone, right? So that even, you know, a very young consumer can understand what is the information that we are giving them in order to make these much better decisions, right? When I say we have to simplify the language, I'm not only referring to the final consumer, because I think that this communication, this simpler communication, needs to happen also between the industry, right? So between all the different stakeholders. And that will for sure, you know, make accessible these metrics. And as we always say, you know, with the AIM, if there is no measurement, there is no improvement. So it's key to have these simple languages in order to be effective in the implementation. So I think that governments really need to focus developing, not necessarily developing, because there are, you know, as I mentioned, the industry is much more ahead. So there are already available a lot of, you know, initiative that needs to be somehow integrated in these simple communication and languages.

WTiN: And just kind of leading on from that, like you said, the industry is ahead and you spoke about, you know, more accessible language to the consumer then. But is there anything else that you would like to see the industry doing more of to phase out chemicals and maybe not even just comply, but to further that journey of sustainability?

Garcia: So I really would like the sector to do more for the people and more for the planet. This to me means accelerating the implementation of new technologies, the use of safer chemicals, and relying more on the metrics. and use those metrics for continuous improvement. Genealogy has done so much to phase out and replace hazardous denim finishing processes, as you have mentioned throughout our conversation. What do you hope this demonstrates to brands, manufacturers and regulators? So, you know, our mission as a company is to transform the way textiles are produced, right? So as part of the industry, we believe also that our responsibility is to do this For for both the people on the planet, together with the many partners across the across the industry that are our customers, we are demonstrating that it's possible to achieve. the same aesthetics with safer and cleaner processes. And all this can be proven by data.

WTiN: Thank you, Begoña. And my final question is, what regulations are you currently watching at Jeanologia and how do you expect them to affect the textile industry moving forward?

Garcia: You know, closely following all these initiatives happening, especially in Europe. I think one very important would be the eco -design for sustainable product regulations, which will for sure introduce new requirements around what should be the information on products, you know, ensuring durability of the goods we produce and, you know, looking at this environmental performance. So all these regulations really, which is I think it's very good news, right, pointing in the same direction, that we as an industry need credible data at a product level. At Jeanologia, we are working on developing these practical, industry -oriented tools and really developing and scaling those technologies that might help to achieve those targets.

WTiN: Thank you so much, Begoña. Thank you for joining me today on WTiN's Textile Innovation Podcast. I am super excited to see what comes from Jeanologia in the future.

Garcia: Thank you very much.

WTiN: Thank you so much for listening. If you have any questions or want to learn more, you can follow us on LinkedIn at World Textile Information Network, or you can contact me directly at content at WTiN.com. If you are interested in sponsoring an episode of the podcast, please email sales at WTiN.com.

Thank you. And we'll see you next time.