Pulcra is moving towards eco-friendly and resource efficient raw materials

Pulcra Chemicals is a global company with outstanding engineering capabilities and unique processing knowledge. The company has over 140 years of experience in the production of innovative specialty chemicals for the fibre, textile and leather industries. Working in specialised fields, Pulcra focuses on innovation, health, safety, sustainability and regulatory compliance of their products. Umasankar Mahapatra, Managing Director, Pulcra Chemicals, in this interview with Divya Shetty, highlights the advancements in textile dyeing and wahta re the challenges to adapt them.  

How are advancements in waterless or bio-based technology impacting your production and operational strategies?

There are two parts to it: first how we are manufacturing these products at 14 plants of Pulcra Group, which are in all key textile producing countries across the world. Second: how we are partnering with our customers to make their products and processes more sustainable.

Apart from state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at our global headquarter near Munich in Germany, each Pulcra affiliates producing products for domestic markets so that environmental footprints of logistics can be minimised. This also helps to develop customised products for customers, as the processing conditions and technologies differ country wise. Our plant in India is a ZLD unit and we have all necessary compliance for products and manufacturing set-up in place. 

At Pulcra, we are continuously working towards giving sustainable products to industry sectors we serve Textile, Fibres and Leather. We are moving towards more ecofriendly and resource efficient raw materials and packaging in our production. To enlarge product offerings which are biobased, Pulcra acquired Devan Chemicals (Belgium), which is specialised in biobased finishing. Pulcra is offering sustainable denim dyeing technology – Breviol DNV for several years which reduces water consumption significantly. Last year Pulcra in collaboration with Inditex brand launched innovative single bath pretreatment and dyeing technology: Sustineri which is getting lot of attention in 100% Cotton and Cotton blends exhaust processing. This technology helps to reduce water, steam and electricity requirements in dyeing process significantly.

Pulcra also offers solutions for sustainable fibres and yarns production like recycled polyester, natural fibre spinning like flax, wool.

What do you consider the biggest challenges the industry faces in shifting towards sustainable dyeing practices?

There are challenges related to shifting towards sustainable processing/dyeing practices. Early stage technologies such as waterless dyeing using Super Critical Fluids, foam/spray dyeing/finishing, plasma/laser/ozone treatment etc. come with very high capital investment along with risk associated in investing technology which are yet to mature. In many cases these technologies come with certain amount of limitations in terms of products which can be manufactured using these. So, unless there is financial assistance, viability of these investments become challenging. 

Sustainable processes using innovative dyes and chemicals are relatively less challenging. But at times these are expensive as compared to their traditional counterparts. So unless customers are willing to pay for the same, adoption remains low. 

In some cases, there are technical limitations as well in sustainable/biobased products. Some of these technical challenges are as below:

• Color inconsistency and low reproducibility associated with natural/bio dyes.
• Limited color gamut with missing deep, bright shades in natural/bio dyes. 
• Sustainable/biobased finishes: low in wash durability.

Other challenges associated with adoption of sustainable processing are:

• Limited research and development in this space in particular or in overall textile related research funding. 
• Cost of compliance (external testing, certification) is a big hurdle for small to mid-size players.
• Lack of skilled manpower in sustainability area, specially measuring and reporting of environmental footprints in precise manner.

But all these challenges offer opportunities as well to the players who are committed to sustainable textile manufacturing.