The Colourist - 2nd Edition 2011

Quarterly magazine of the Society of Dyers and Colourists

Water Profile – SDC New President International Update

www.sdc.org.uk

Issue 2 / 2011

The world’s leading peer-reviewed journal dealing with the e application of colour, and the only journal that covers all aspects of coloration technology (including; chemistry, physics, technology, engineering and management).

Now Online!

Special Issue: Quality of Light Sources Guest Editor: Professor Ronnier Luo (University of Leeds, UK)

Coloration Technology’s first ever Special Issue is now available online: Quality of Light Sources, Volume 127:2 Looking at a range of illumination technologies, this special issue reviews methods for quantifying the quality of light sources, assessment of industrial colour control and visual performance, and the importance of lighting in retail spaces and the built environment.

Read these leading papers from this Special Issue:

· On Measuring Task Performance – Peter Boyce for Quantifying the Quality of Light Sources · –Measures Ronnier Luo (Guest Editor) of the Daylight Sources for Industrial Colour Control · –Quality Robert Hirschler

New Special Issue: Quality of Light Sources now online!

To discover this Special Issue online, visit: wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/colorationtechnology

26367

Published by John Wiley on behalf of the Society of Dyers and Colourists: www.sdc.org.uk

Welcome to this issue about water.

We all know that 70% of the earth’s surface is water and yet this natural resource is becoming scarcer in certain places, and its availability is a major social and economic concern. Currently, about a billion people around the world routinely drink unhealthy water. Poor water quality and bad sanitation are dead de adly ly; some ffive ive m iv deadly; million deaths a year are caused by polluted drinking water. The World Health Organisation estimates that around 1.4 million child deaths each year from diarrhoea could be avoided by access to safe water.

The textile industry uses vast amounts of water throughout all processing operations and is one of the largest polluters in the world. The World Bank estimates that almost 20% of global industrial water pollution comes from the treatment and dyeing of textiles. As recently as February this year the High Court of India closed down 700 dyehouses in Tirupur alone as they were continuing to dump polluted effluent into local water courses.

As Mark Astley from Ikea repeated again and again at the SDC Event in Dhaka “if you want to work with western brands, you need to have efficient and properly managed effluent treatment plants”.

With time running out, as an industry, we need to act now.

SDC has agreed an ethical and environmental policy and this will be phased in over the next few years and all members will be expected to sign up to a pledge to do business without harming people or the planet.

Also in this issue we’re delighted to introduce our new president to you – Mun Lim Cheung from Hong Kong, and there’s also an update on our busy international programme of activities.

Susie Hargreaves, SDC chief executive

Governance

4

News

5

Water Special

SDC New President

welcome

From the top

6-11

12

International Update 13-14

Diary Dates

15

Front cover image: SDC New President ML Cheung Cover image credit: Dean Smith

© Society of Dyers and Colourists 2010 PO Box 244 / Perkin House / 82 Grattan Road Bradford / BD1 2JB / UK Tel: +44 (0)1274 725138 Fax: +44(0)1274 392888 www.sdc.org.uk To contact the editor Tracy Cochrane, email: tracyc@sdc.org.uk

Design & print: The Ark Design & Print Ltd T: 0113 256 8712 www.thearkdesign.co.uk To discuss advertising opportunities within The Colourist please call Mick Tonks on +44(0)113 256 8712 or email: mick@thearkdesign.co.uk

3 Issue 2 | 2011

governance

News from the SDC Board of Trustees Adrian Abel Chair of the Trustee Board Final Report In keeping with my announced intention in September 2009, this will be my final report as Chair of the Trustee Board as I felt 20 months was long enough and I will be retiring as a Board member.

Thanks to all my fellow Board members, who have been conscientious in their attendance at Board meetings and while we have certainly not agreed on everything, there has been a collective response to decisions, thus avoiding the feeling that we were building on shifting sand. The smaller number of Trustees has made us far more involved in the decisions we have reached thus making us more consistent.

Business Plan

4

The Society’s business plan has given us a working document that has been the focus for our development. Its costed recommendations have been essential in trying to make the Society fit for purpose in the modern world, while recognising that the Society is international, yet with 50% of its members being within the UK. The plan went through various stages in its development, undergoing a number of changes as various parties gave their input. The final version has helped us to work within a clear budget that will see the Society virtually break even by 2012 and with a management structure more suited to a technically orientated organisation.

Both 2009 and 2010 resulted in operating surpluses well above budget, even excluding the above budget Gift-Aided profits from Enterprises.

Perkin House has made great efforts to Issue 2 | 2011

keep costs down, while extending the Society’s activity. Sadly this has meant the departure of a number of staff, some of whom had given great service to the Society over many years, but it has left us with a new management structure to reflect the roles needed for a 21st century global organisation.

Content Management System (CMS) Our biggest investment is the Society’s CMS. The Society’s numerous websites and databases made it impossible to ensure the right information was available to members and staff alike. The new system’s benefits are now becoming apparent.

The new website has been launched and very well received. Its ease of navigation and massive knowledge vault are proving very successful.

Thanks to all who have worked so hard to build and populate the site. It was within budget and only marginally behind schedule.

Charitable Aims The Charity Commission has become very strict in applying its rules that registered Charities must clearly show a benefit to the public. In order to maintain our charitable status we had to ensure that our benefits were offered to a wider public. The Colour Experience (CE) was such a benefit so the decision to close it was reversed and attendance figures are back up to pre-closure levels, helping many young people learn more about colour.

However, the CE is only one small part of the Society’s expanding educational activities. We are also delivering an outreach programme both in the UK and beyond. Training courses have multiplied everywhere the Society is active and new trainers have been taught to deliver these courses.

SDC Enterprises We all owe a debt of gratitude to those who decided to set up a trading subsidiary in the form of SDC Enterprises and the employees and directors of this business. The financial contribution of Enterprises enables us to deliver our charitable objectives and maintain our services at a relatively low cost to members. They have just had another very successful year and will make another large Gift Aid contribution to the Society in the autumn. The Society has invested additional capital into the company, partly to fund the development of new products that will supplement their excellent but ageing product lines.

Market conditions are becoming increasingly difficult so it is essential that we all do our best to promote Enterprises wherever we can, helping them to consolidate and grow their markets.

Staff I must thank all the staff for their contribution, in what has been a difficult time. We have seen a big rise in the Society’s profile, both in the UK and beyond, in no small part due to the energy and diligence of our Chief Executive, Susie Hargreaves. Thank you all very much, but special thanks to Susie, who has given great support to me as Chair of the Board.

Future In times when many organisations are finding it difficult to attract Trustees, we were fortunate in having a great response to filling the vacancies on the Trustee Board, with a large number of good candidates. I would like to thank all who stood for the Trustee Board and congratulate the successful candidates.

I conclude by wishing you well over the coming year, confident that the Society is in safe hands.

Adrian Abel

Our thanks go to Stuart Smith who has retired from the Board of SDC Enterprises after many years of service, firstly as Managing Director at the start-up of the company and latterly as deputy chairman. Stuart has been involved with SDC for many years. He gained his ASDC in 1955, his FSDC in 1991, he was awarded a Silver Medal in 1991 and he has served on numerous committees. He is a past president of the Society and was awarded his 50 year membership in 2003.

We would also like to thank Adrian Abel, Peter Diggle, John Bone and Duncan Phillips who have all stepped down from the Board of SDC. Elected on to our new Board in 2009, they have all given tremendous commitment to the Society, helping to drive forward the implementation of our business plan. We are also sorry to lose Malcolm Brown who has stepped down as Honorary Secretary.

We thank them all for their contribution to the Society, and wish them well for the future. We will bring you news of our new trustees and Honorary Secretary in the next issue of The Colourist following ratification at the AGM.

news

With Thanks

The Essential Chemical Industry – revised edition out now!

This new publication is now available and includes a chapter on dyes and pigments written by Andrew Filarowski (SDC’s Technical Director), and SDC members Peter Lockett, Brian Burdett and Geoff Hallas. The book is the result of a longstanding collaboration between academics and industrialists.

Concise and beautifully illustrated, The Essential Chemical Industry presents information about the chemical industry to both the education and industrial sectors. It describes the development and operation of industrial processes the what, where, why and how of the conversion of raw materials into useful chemicals and products. It is aimed at A level students, high achieving GCSE students and industrialists.

With over 70 units covering such topics as distillation, iron, nanoparticles and ammonia production not only are A level syllabus topics fully covered but many other areas are

looked at which those working in industry will also find fascinating.

Every unit covers manufacturing methods, uses and production figures.

A level students have given the book an enthusiastic response: ‘the use of photographs and the brilliant diagrams really helped me understand how chlorine is produced’ The Essential Chemical Industry is produced by CIEC Promoting Science.

Based at the University of York, CIEC promotes science teaching in primary and secondary schools in the context of industry in the 21st century www.ciec.org.uk. The book costs £25 and is available from CIEC, ciec@york.ac.uk or telephone +44 (0)1904 322523.

Launch of new website We were delighted to launch our new website earlier this year: www.sdc.org.uk, and all members should have received log in details. Thanks to all those who have taken the time to give feedback on the site, and thanks also for all the positive comments we have received.

A number of new areas are still under development, but we would encourage you to visit the following:

The knowledge vault – our unique, searchable database of research, articles and papers from SDC’s extensive library on colour and coloration.

The members’ lounge – your opportunity to network and join discussion groups with other SDC members globally.

In addition, we will shortly be launching SDC on a number of social networking platforms – watch this space!

5 Issue 2 | 2011

water special 6

The Global Crisis for Drinking Water or how dyers can be transformed from villains to heroes

by Arthur C Welham Although the water crisis does not generate quite as many newspaper headlines as climate change, the increasingly gloomy situation regarding the provision of sufficient water of adequate quality for drinking is fairly well known. Many observers have predicted that wars will erupt in parts of the world where what seems like sensible water management in one country, plunges neighbouring countries into crisis. However, there is no water shortage. Water is the most abundant chemical compound at the earth’s surface and our eco-system continually recycles water to provide clean water in the form of rain. Our problem is in collecting and managing this clean water to provide drinking water for a world population that has grown almost four fold since the end of the First World War. The population of India alone is now greater (1.210 billion) than the whole world population in 1850 (1.171 billion).

Unfortunately, water management is not sexy. Most developed countries justify their International Aid programmes in economic terms by the positive impact on world trade. This makes building roads, shopping malls and factories seem more useful to the donors than providing drinking water.

The good news is that we can improve the availability of drinking water at the same time as we stimulate more profitable international trade in textiles.

Issue 2 | 2011

Clean water is necessary for many manufacturing industries. In particular, textile dyeing uses particularly large amounts and the required quality is very similar to drinking water with low dissolved solids and free from simple life forms such as bacteria or amoeba.

It has been estimated that on average 200 litres of water is used for every kilo of cotton or regenerated cellulosic fibre dyed in China. Even if we assume that this is a rather high estimate, that China is a particularly bad offender and that the true world average including continuous as well as batch dyeing processes is about 100 litres per kilo, this still represents about 3 trillion litres of water annually. In fact it is clear that the opportunity exists to reduce this consumption to 25 litres per kilo.

For various reasons (especially higher costs for water and effluent treatment) the average water usage in textile dyeing was much lower 20 or 30 years ago when the big textile processing industries were in Europe and North

America. The World Health Organisation believes that the average drinking water requirement for humans is 2.6 litres per capita per day (the actual average varies between males and females as well as with ambient climatic conditions).

All this means that using well known conventional technology, essentially the same as is actually being used already and to produce exactly the same quality of dyed fabric, we could save enough water in the textile dyeing industry to release drinking water for 2.34 billion people (or almost the combined populations of India and China).

It is clear that politicians, bankers and retailers share great responsibility for shifting the textile processing industry from Europe and North America to Asia and Latin America without much thought to the availability of plentiful soft water. In part this is as a result of a failure to realise that cheap labour is only important in garment manufacture not in the production of fabric. It may be unfortunate that this movement of

This distorts cost calculations when we consider using the best available technology and particularly when we think about water recycling. If the manufacturing industry in these countries was compelled to pay for water extraction at its true value, the cost of water recycling would be similar to the cost of using fresh water and in this case the demand for water might be reduced to as little as 15% of what would be possible by good practice in the dyehouse (or less than 4% of what I estimated above as the global average in cotton dyeing). The recycling technology available has been in use for decades and, although there are questions about the energy consumption in Reverse Osmosis and the disposal of mildly toxic sludge, the situation for water is critical.

The impending crisis is created by a combination of over use of water for industry and contamination of ground water to render it unusable for drinking or industry. Action is necessary now. We

Issue 2 | 2011

water special

textile production has often resulted in the location of dyehouses in unsuitable (ie relatively arid) parts of the world.

However, it is unrealistic to suppose that our problems could be reduced by a reversal of this trend. It is too late and we have to resolve the situation within the industry as it is, not as it might have been.

In most parts of the world there is already tremendous social and political pressure to treat discharged dyehouse effluent in order to permit discharge without damage to the environment. It is likely, in the near future, that these pressures will enforce textile dyers the world over to actually recycle that effluent for re-use in their factories.

The strategy employed to control the costs of this will determine the future of individual enterprises and their ability to compete successfully in the textile dyeing industry of the mid 21st century.

Sadly, for what probably seemed appropriate humanitarian reasons, the cost of water at the point of use is often negligible in developing countries.

have less than 10 years to use what we already know and prevent catastrophe.

In many countries (Bangladesh is an outstanding example) the growth of the textile industry has provided hope and a better life for millions. The only other alternative to a combination of better dyehouse practice and water recycling is for enforced industrial closure which will condemn countries like Bangladesh to a poverty and hardship unprecedented in modern human history.

There are some issues to resolve.

It is important that everybody who is a stakeholder in this industry works together to ensure a viable solution.

Retailers and global brands have a role in ensuring that their suppliers conform to best practice. They also need to realistically adapt their quality standards to reduce reprocessing and the higher costs associated with meeting often unrealistic, arbitrary and unnecessary targets for performance and shade passing. Governments have a role in creating realistic and fair regulations for industrial practice, water extraction and effluent treatment. The dyeing and finishing industry needs to take time to understand the available technology and put this into practice (after all the only side effect will be increased profitability) as well as to have constructive dialogue with their suppliers and customers. Especially, the industry needs to address excessive reprocessing and shade correction. The chemical industry must look for new low or zero salt processes for dyeing cellulosic fibres to meet modern colour fastness demands. Further development is needed for water purification systems which will operate with lower energy demands. We all need to consider alternative dyeing processes which will result in a less toxic effluent sludge and permit use of this sludge as fertiliser.

Immediate improvement is not difficult. We can reduce water usage in the dyehouse using well established technology. This will also reduce the costs associated with the ultimate solution of recycling all dyehouse water for re-use and zero effluent discharge.

The technology is available and has been for many years. If the problems can be addressed at the same time as costs are reduced and profits increased, why do we continue to accelerate towards a potential doomsday?

7

water special

Water, Water everywhere, nor

By Susie Hargreaves, CEO, SDC On 5th April 2011, the SDC hosted a one day conference in Bangladesh ‘The Dhaka Water Catastrophe 2020 – what can we do it about it?’

Held at the Hotel Pan Pacific Sonargaon in the centre of Dhaka, over 200 delegates from the wet processing sector came together to spend a day learning about the magnitude of the crisis but more importantly, how the textile sector can change its practice to bring about positive change.

The speakers shared some stark statistics: Arthur Welham, The Dyehouse Doctor “the population of India today is more than the whole world was in 1850”, Peter Johnson, Huntsman “there will not be enough clean water in Dhaka to serve the population in 2020”, Rajesh Balakrishnan, DyStar “35 million people in Bangladesh are affected by scarcity of water and 2.4 billion tons of waste is dumped in rivers and streams in Bangladesh each year”, Dr Bilal Haleem, Clariant “55,000 children die each year in Bangladesh from drinking contaminated water”, and the list went on.

Peter Johnson from Huntsman opened the event with a holistic view of sustainability in wet processing giving details of how water footprint is calculated. He stressed that “resources don’t last for ever, and it’s our duty to optimise energy, water, chemicals, time efficient and right first time processing”.

In order to achieve this, joint effort and co-operation is needed between all the stakeholders: the dye and chemical supplier, the textile mill and the brand and retailer.

8 Issue 2 | 2011

The first panel session, chaired by Rajesh Balakrishnan, DyStar, focused on the context and larger picture.

Arthur Welham gave an overview of the population and environmental statistics.

Bangladesh is at the forefront of global climate change. Dhaka is overpopulated and the population is predicted to double in less than 10 years. Already the supply of fresh drinking water is inadequate and the water reserves in underground aquifers are dwindling and at risk of contamination. He then went on to wet processing in Bangladesh where an average of 200 tons of water is used for every ton of textiles processed. The good news, he said, is that “major reductions in water used can be achieved simply by using existing technology and reducing water consumption will reduce costs”. He then shared a number of case studies which demonstrated the validity of his claim.

Dr Bilal Haleem presented Clariant’s 4E Product and was followed by a hugely entertaining and informative presentation from Rahul Bhajekar, Texanlab when he gave the audience a whistle stop tour through the history of chemicals and Restricted Substances.

“The RSL is intended to protect the consumer, the production centres and most importantly, the environment, so should not be seen as a bad thing”.

Bangladesh’s textile industry, which includes knitwear and ready-made garments along with specialised textile products, is the nation’s number one export earner, accounting for 80% of Bangladesh’s exports of $13 billion in 2010. Therefore the dyehouses and mills have to understand and be able to

deliver the requirements of the global brands.

Both Mark Astley from IKEA and Lars Doemer from H&M made excellent presentations, detailing their requirements with examples of good practice from across the globe. The presentations were different but the message from them both was exactly the same – very direct and clear – unless the wet processing sector in Bangladesh complies with their codes of conduct there would be no contracts. The market is potentially huge, for example, in 2010 IKEA produced 2 million kgs of cotton bed linen in Bangladesh – equivalent to 3200 football fields of cotton and used 18 billion litres of water. H&M and IKEA are also part of the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI). The BCI is a long-term initiative that develops and promotes good farm practices allowing more cotton to be grown while reducing water and chemical use. The system established minimum environmental and social requirements for cotton growing. IKEA will be using 100% Better Cotton and environmentally friendly alternative materials in all its products by 2015.

Students at the Dhaka conference

Mark Astley summed it up “unless a mill has a properly managed, fully functional ETP that works 24 hours a day, IKEA will not work with you”.

Syed Nayeem Emran from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the South Asia Enterprise Development facility presented the ‘Cleaner Production’ project which had been run in Bangladesh in partnership with a number of global and domestic brands. By taking an integrated approach to maximising profits by minimising waste and pollution at source they had made much more efficient use of inputs such as energy, water and raw materials. All 15 participating factories were able to show positive results over six months.

He quoted Lars Loekke Rasmussen, PM of Denmark who said “negotiators cannot do this alone, nor can politicians, the ultimate responsibility rests with the citizens of the world, who will ultimately bear the fatal consequence if we fail to act”.

Khawaja Minnatullah is the Senior Specialist for Environment and Water for the World Bank in Dhaka. He had been commissioned by the Bangladeshi government to undertake a detailed audit of the water crisis. His main message was that the extent of the problem was clear, the action required was not being taken and time was running out. Government and industry had to act immediately.

The conference finished with two presentations about local issues.

Amanur Rahman, Dysin talked about how the Dhaka based company approaches innovation through new products for the market which address environmental concerns.

Dr Karthikeyan, Intertek talked about how today’s consumers demand that

goods not only be manufactured to meet quality and safety requirements, but be sourced and manufactured using sustainable practices that do not adversely impact the environment, community, society or economy.

In order to achieve this, brands and retailers need to identify, measure and demonstrate the environmental impact of their business activities including their products, packaging and supply chain along the life cycle. He presented Intertek’s range of environmental impact solutions.

Throughout the day there was a very clear common theme, albeit presented in different ways but the bottom line according to Arthur Welham is “taking environmental initiatives in dyeing in Bangladesh is not only responsible, it’s a no brainer – you use less water, less energy and less chemicals so save money”.

The event was made possible by sponsorship from DyStar, Clariant, Huntsman, Legend, Kisco, Intertek and Dysin and was delivered in conjunction with media partners International Dyer and Colourage.

We’re delighted to tell you that many of the presentations from the Dhaka event are available to download from the SDC website (www.sdc.org.uk). Please visit ‘past events’ in the ‘Events and Competitions’ section.

water special

any drop to drink

Left to right: Susie Hargreaves, Peter Johnson and Arthur Welham

9 Issue 2 | 2011

water special 10

The Future for Textiles in our Thirsty World 26 November 2010, Thai Textile Institute, Bangkok Susie Hargreaves reports on SDC’s recent conference On 26 November in Bangkok a new partnership was born between SDC, ATDP (Association of Thai Textile, Bleaching, Dyeing, Printing and Finishing Industries) and the THTI (Thai Textile Institute) who came together to co-host a one day event for Thai professionals working in the dyeing and finishing industries. This was part of SDC’s ongoing strategy of developing synergies with partner organisations on environmental best practice.

The Chair for the day was Sunt Uppaputthangkul, Secretary General of ATDP and MD of both P N Textiles and Faber Flags and Banners. Khun Sunt, speaking to a capacity audience from the dyeing and finishing industries, outlined the aim of the day which was to present the real facts and figures about the pending water crisis, how this affects the Thai textile industry and what the industry can do to improve its practice.

The Thai textile and clothing industry is the second largest industry in Thailand and employs approximately 20% of the industrial workforce. However it is also one of the country’s biggest industrial water consumers.

The day was made possible by sole sponsors DyStar, and Steve Barron, CEO of DyStar, started proceedings with a presentation that shared the stark reality facing us all “according to the UN, by the year 2020, water demand will exceed supply by 470 trillion gallons and by 2025 2.8 billion people around the world will be living in water-scarce areas. In other words within 10-15 years we will not have enough available water to sustain our businesses and quality of life”.

Steve was followed by Arthur Welham, MD of the Dyehouse Doctor who highlighted the extent of the problem through a range of case studies and global statistics. More importantly, he put forward some very simple practical solutions to improve dyehouse practice. He stressed that dyehouses tend to focus almost Issue 2 | 2011

Steve Barron, CEO DyStar

entirely on production costs without really taking into account the costs of reprocessing and of seconds and customer rejections. By addressing these issues and improving the bottom line, this would also have a major impact on the environment. For him “education at every level of the dyeing and finishing industry remains a priority.”

Woranat Sathakarn, Huntsman Textile Effects, gave a stirring presentation that focused on sustainable textile processing. Through a detailed ‘life cycle assessment’ it is possible to identify the main environmental factors and then address each in turn: optimisation of resources, minimising pollution, ensuring worker safety, ensuring consumer safety and communicating effectively with brands and retailers. She described a case study in detail working with MASCO textile for H&M and C&A brands in Bangladesh to show how much water, electricity and CO2 could be saved.

Rahul Bhajekar, MD of Texanlab delivered a hugely entertaining presentation on restricted substances, taking the audience through the evolution of chemicals and bringing them up to date with the role of chemicals in today’s environmental crisis. He focused on what could be

done to address the issues. He described what biodegradability is and also went through specific categories of chemicals. He brought everyone up to date with the legal requirements as well as their environmental responsibilities and given the serious nature of his presentations managed to do this using humour and highly visual examples to illustrate the points he was trying to make.

The speakers closed with a presentation from the Chairman of ATDP, Pilan Dhammongkol, who is also MD of Thanapaisal. He spoke about the past problems which had caused the government to pass legislation to control industry and the rising cost of water treatment. Industries began to learn cleaner technology and to reduce, recycle and reuse their water resulting in less water discharge and lower water treatment costs. In 1992 ATDP surveyed its members about water usage per kg of fabric. It found out that it was common practice for water usage of 200-300 litres per 1kg of fabric and some were as high as 600 litres per 1kg of fabric. Over the years ATDP has run a programme of activities focused on lowering water consumption. Now it is common to see an average of 120-150 litres per 1kg of fabric with a benchmark at >100

Sustainability in Textile Wet Processing

by Andrew Filarowski

litres per 1kg of fabric. He emphasised the importance of adapting to new technology and of committing to staff development.

Following the presentations, there was a lively discussion focusing on how you define ‘right first time’ and some interesting examples of what delegates had put into practice in their own dyehouses.

The issue is a huge one, and can appear insurmountable. However, each speaker did not shy away from the enormity of the task but offered very clear practical solutions to start addressing the situation. One of the main messages was that when it comes to dyeing and finishing, you don’t have to invest masses of capital in new equipment and staff to improve practice. You can make changes that affect the environmental and financial bottom lines simply by improving your existing practice. Don’t focus on the profit margin alone, audit what you really do and then look at ways to aim for right first time.

In closing Steve Barron remarked, “with about two thirds of the surface of our planet covered in water, it is a great irony that we are facing an acute water crisis. However freshwater is a precious and scarce resource that is needed to grow food to feed the planet’s rapidly growing population. As a major water user and polluter, the textile dyeing industry must react and it must react fast.”

This capacity event, with 100 participants, was a great success, with bookings closed several weeks beforehand. A key area for growth, SDC will continue to develop services and activities in Thailand. There is lots of synergy between the partners and SDC is in discussion about future events and projects in Thailand.

As Arthur Welham pointed out in his article there is a need for better water conservation in the textile wet processing industry. By its very nature it uses a lot of water. Although many improvements have been made in the use of low liquor ratio machines at SDC we believe that more can be done by optimising the processing of fabrics through the plant and thus making the industry more sustainable.

For any company this can involve some very simple steps: 1. Preventing leaks 2. Having planned maintenance 3. Ensuring steam traps are clean These should be the mainstay of any business. But what about more involved interventions?

1. Reuse of water from the various processes that use water 2. Optimisation of production planning 3. Improvement in lab to bulk and bulk to bulk reproducibility 4. Optimisation of dyeing profiles These also have an effect on the energy efficiency of the plant therefore having added benefits and also affect the cost of the ETP and its effectiveness.

So water is not an issue in isolation and a review of all the plants processes has the benefit of identifying where both financial and resource savings can be made.

Through an Adastra project we can identify where these problems occur and offer solutions which mean the business is more environmentally and financially sustainable.

The case study below shows projected potential savings following an Adastra project and highlights the environmental benefits of this being done. The table summarises the production cost analysis and projected savings following a five day Adastra audit.

Cost element

Current situation

Projected situation

Savings 75.6%

Steam

0.0800

0.0195

Water

0.0505

0.0084

83.4%

Electricity

0.0193

0.0132

31.5%

Dyestuff and chemicals

0.4245

0.4118

3.0%

Labour costs (estimated)

0.0129

0.0088

31.8%

Total cost per kg

0.5872

0.4617

21.4%

Cost reductions per kg

0.1255

Yearly cost reduction

water special

Delegates at the Thai conference

21.4% €325,324

Project benefits: Proper organisation of the dyehouse and related departments, resulting in the creation of a healthy environment, which will yield the best outcome from production in the available machinery ■ Lower water, energy, dyestuffs and chemicals usage ■ Shorter process times and therefore more batches per day ■ High repeatability or bulk to bulk continuity ■ More consistency in the lab operation and therefore better lab to bulk reproducibility ■ Less operator intervention in process control ■ Standardisation and overall control of the dyeing processes and machines settings

This resulted in the following financial benefits: ■ Cost

savings of 21.4% on the project of 7,300 kg per day cost savings of €325,324 ■ Further financial benefit from increased profit from higher production of €489,000 (assuming a margin of €0.6 per kg). In summary, the total annualised financial benefit was projected to be in excess of €700,000.

To find out more about Adastra please email: andrewf@sdc.org.uk or telephone +44 (0)1274 761777 ■ Annualised

Issue 2 | 2011

11

new president 12

Welcome to SDC’s new president - Mun Lim Cheung CText FTI

Mun Lim Cheung (known as ML) is the new president of the SDC. He takes over from John Morris. ML, from Hong Kong, is the Society’s first ever president from outside the UK and brings a wealth of experience with him.

Comments ML, ‘I joined the SDC in 1968 and I was one of the founding members of the Hong Kong region.

I have served several terms as an executive committee member of the region and twice as the Chairman of the Hong Kong region. This continues to be a time of worldwide change for the textile industry, and I look forward to working with the staff and trustees to promote the Society in China, Hong Kong and internationally’.

The new president will work closely with the SDC Chief Executive, Susie Hargreaves. Comments Susie, ‘this continues to be a time of change and development for the Society. M L Cheung is a well-known and respected figure in the textile industry in Hong Kong and China, where he has seen the industry develop and change over the years. I am looking forward to working with him at such a vital time and to promoting the Society in China, which is a key growth area for us’.

M L Cheung began his career in Issue 2 | 2011

and finishing co-organised by SDC and Adsale (see review on page 14).

Also during this visit Andrew and ML held talks with Mr Zhongquan Huang of the Shenghong Group Co Ltd who will be taking over the secretariat of TCI/81 SC1 in two years time from SDC. This provides the opportunity for the Society to work ML Cheung and Keith Parton (Chair of SDC Hong Kong) closely with one of the biggest textile textiles with his admission into the concerns in China and develop a Department of Textile Industries, Hong relationship which ensures that SDC’s Kong Technical College in 1959. He position within the textile colour graduated in 1962 with a Diploma in fastness field remains prominent and an Textiles. He started working in the textile opportunity to influence the industry with a wool spinning company development of the Society in this group before moving to a dyeing factory – of companies.

Pacific Dyeing Works Ltd before moving Andrew and ML also met with to work for Dyestuffs and Textile Professor He, Vice Dean, College of Auxiliaries companies. In the late 1980s Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and ML started Winmount Ltd in Hong Kong Biotechnology at Donghua University www.winmount.com.hk and continues and the current Chairman of SDC in to this day as Managing Director.

China. Through ML’s intimate knowledge This serves the textile industry with state of China, of industry and his of the art technology and devices for understanding of what it means to be a innovation of product and process, the professional member of the Society we conservation of resources and for hope to build continuing professional sustainability. development into the lives of the alumni On 13 May, at SDC’s Day of of some of the universities of China.

Celebration in Bradford, UK, ML became the new president of SDC. We will bring you further details of our Day of Celebration in the next issue of The Colourist.

ML’s appointment provides a wonderful opportunity for the Society to further develop in China and as part of this he Left to right: recently accompanied Adrian Abel, Andrew Filarowski to the 4th John Morris, ML Cheung and International Conference on Keith Parton New Technology in Dyeing

Over 500 delegates attend SDC conference in Pakistan. Hafiz Muhammad Tayyab, secretary of SDC Pakistan reviewed the event This two-day International Conference on Textiles and Clothing was jointly organised by SDC, the Textile Institute and The Institute of Textiles and Industrial Sciences (ITIS) at the University of Management and Technology in Lahore. It took place at the Pearl Continental Hotel in Lahore.

The conference was sponsored by SDC and the Textile Institute. Hafiz Muhammad Tayyab, secretary of SDC Pakistan was there to represent SDC.

The conference was attended by over 500 participants from academia, industry and governments officials along with the presenters from across the world.

Research papers were presented by textile professionals and experts from across the world on major issues affecting the industry. Topics included nano-science in textiles, non-wovens, geo-textiles, conductive textiles, recyclable textiles, enhancement of industrial R & D, textile management and marketing, enhancement of environmental and

Delegates at the conference

SDC International Design Competition Congratulations to all our UK regional heat winners: ■ Samantha Ingle (University of Loughborough) ■ Emmanuelle Sayers (Manchester Metropolitan University) ■ Nicola Chisnall (University of West of England) ■ Asiima Leona Mawudoku (London Metropolitan University) ■ Sarah Struthers (Grays School of Art) 2010 Finalists

All the finalists will be coming to Bradford in May for the UK final.

The competition is open to undergraduate fashion and textile design students in Australia, Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, India, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, USA and the UK. Many of the international heats have yet to take place - for further information please email: marketing@sdc.org.uk

Hafiz Tayyab

effluents treatments, new developments in textile machinery, guaranteed energy source, compliance and quality issues.

SDC had a stand to help raise awareness of the Society amongst the textile professionals and students. Textile experts, professionals and textile students appreciated the research work and research papers of the presenters.

The delegates appreciated the fantastic opportunity the conference offered them to explore some of the new areas in textiles compared to conventional textiles.

The two day session enriched the current state of knowledge among the participants. The organisers are already planning a similar conference for next year.

international update

3rd International Conference on Textile and Clothing, March 28-29, 2011

Pakistan update Our very active team in Pakistan continue to organise a busy programme of activities. This includes a monthly series of one hour lectures in different cities and institutes delivered by speakers from renowned institutions. SDC has a growing membership base of around 50 members in Pakistan with several holding ASDC and LSDC qualifications. In addition to the monthly events, the International Design Competition, conferences and training programmes are also priorities for the SDC team in Pakistan who are continuously striving for the advancement of colour science. Their further aim is to run day courses for industry and short diplomas so that practical training may be imparted to the young lab technicians related to colour application, colour evaluation and colour matching.

For information about SDC’s activities in Pakistan please email: hmtayyab@hotmail.com or marketing@sdc.org.uk

Issue 2 | 2011

13

international update

China conference a success The 4th International Textile Conference on New Technology in Dyeing and Finishing, Suzhou, China 28-29 March This conference was co-organised by SDC with the China Textile Engineering Society and Adsale (China Textile and Apparel (CTA) and the Journal for Asia on Textile and Apparel (ATA)). The event again proved to be successful in drawing in people from all parts of the coloration industry:

How many attended?

166 people representing 95 organisations

Who were they?

15% Director / Factory Manager 30% Manager/ Supervisor 22% Engineer 11% Professor/Instructor

New Frontiers in Coloration: Ushering Growth SDC India’s 8th annual international conference takes place on 3 and 4 June at The Club, Mumbai. The conference features a keynote appearance from Professor Anthony Ryan (Pro-ViceChancellor, Faculty of Science, University of Sheffield).

12% Technician 10% Others

What do their organisations do?

44% Dyeing and Finishing 8% Machinery and Accessories 7% Weaving and Knitting 15% Chemicals and Auxiliaries 6% Testing and Certification 20% Others (Associations, Institutes, Academia) Papers were presented by a range of practicing dyers and printers, academics and dye and chemical manufacturers both from China and across the world.

The main theme to emerge was that of improving production routes, with each speaker providing information on reducing

the environmental impact of preparation, dyeing, finishing and printing. Andrew Filarowski, SDC’s Technical Director, made a presentation on ‘Right First Time’.

Feedback on the quality of the conference programme was excellent.

The conference was a great opportunity for SDC to raise its profile amongst delegates. This was greatly helped by the presence of M L Cheung, our new President. Plans are in place to repeat the event in 2012 and it is hoped we can build on the success.

To read an article on ‘Right First Time’, written by Alex Foster, SDC’s Technical Manager, please visit our website www.sdc.org.uk or email marketing@sdc.org.uk to request a copy.

CSI Colour Award 2012 Sponsored by Color Solutions International, we will shortly be launching this competition which is open to undergraduate fashion and textile design students globally. With a strong emphasis on colour, the award challenges students to design a trend card for fashion apparel using CSI software: www.csicolorsearch.com.

Fabulous prizes including a £500 cash prize! To join the mailing list to receive a copy of the competition brief, please email: marketing@sdc.org.uk

2010 Conference

14

The conference focuses on the emerging technology trends in coloration and includes technology sneak-peaks, technical sessions and a community pavilion hub with partner exhibits. There will be a full review of the event in the next issue of The Colourist!

Issue 2 | 2011

Left to right: Peter Collishaw, Susie Hargreaves, Amy Long (2010 Winner) and John Easton (DyStar)

EVENTS

17-19 August

16 December, Andhra

17 November London, UK

SDC Certificate of Colour Management Training Program SGS. Contact: calvin.lam@sgs.com

Colour Fastness/Effluent Treatment/ Exhaust Dyeing of Cellulosics.

Contact: admin@sdc.org.in

India

Mauritius

23 June, Solhapur

13-15 June, Phoenix

Effluent Treatment/Exhaust Dyeing of Cellulosics.

Contact: admin@sdc.org.in

ESDC Certificate of ISO Colour Fastness Testing Program SGS. Contact: Geraldine.koenig@sgs.com

24 June, Kolapur

Pakistan

Colour Fastness/Restricted Substances/ MSDS with Health and Safety.

Contact: admin@sdc.org.in

25-26 May, Lahore

The Chemistry of Textiles A joint event with SCI to celebrate the International Year of Chemistry, focusing on the innovative use of chemicals in the textile industry.

Contact: marketing@sdc.org.uk

2 December Hong Kong Reduce, Recycle, Reuse Hong Kong region AGM, conference and grand final of the SDC International Design Competition.

Contact: marketing@sdc.org.uk

Effluent Treatment/Exhaust Dyeing of Cellulosics/MSDS with Health and Safety.

Contact: admin@sdc.org.in

6-8 May, Dhaka 23-25 October, Dhaka

25 August, Delhi Colour Fastness/Restricted Substances.

Contact: admin@sdc.org.in

26 August, Delhi

China

SDC Certificate of ISO Colour Fastness Testing Program SGS. Contact: Nayyar.Imtiaz@sgs.com

28 July, Ludhiana 30 July, Panipat

TRAINING COURSES Bangladesh

SDC Certificate of ISO Colour Fastness Testing Program SGS. Contact: Yeasmin.Akhter@sgs.com

19-20 July, Karachi SDC Certificate of ISO Colour Fastness Testing Program SGS. Contact: Naeem.Minhas@sgs.com

21-22 September, Faisalabad SDC Certificate of ISO Colour Fastness Testing Program SGS. Contact: AR.Lakhani@sgs.com

Exhaust Dyeing of Cellulosics/ Laboratory Best Practices.

Contact: admin@sdc.org.in

United Kingdom

SDC Colour Management and Colour Fastness Testing CTIC. Contact: wangling@fabricschina.com.cn

21 September, Tirupur 22 September, Erode 23 September, Salem

Introduction to Coloration: Fibres to Coloured Fabrics.

Contact: karens@sdc.org.uk

10-11 October, Qingdao 12-13 December, Guangzhou

Colour Fastness/Exhaust Dyeing of Cellulosics/Laboratory Best Practices.

Contact: admin@sdc.org.in

21 September and 14 December, Bradford

28 July, Ludhiana 30 July, Panipat

Introduction to Colour Management.

Contact: karens@sdc.org.uk

4-7 July, Suzhou 25-28 October, Beijing 20-23 December, Guangdong

SDC Certificate of ISO Colour Fastness Testing Program SGS. Contact: jane.jiang@sgs.com

18-20 October, Hangzhou SDC Certificate of Colour Management Training Program SGS. Contact: jane.jiang@sgs.com

Hong Kong and Macau

Colour Fastness/Restricted Substances/ Laboratory Best Practices.

Contact: admin@sdc.org.in

26 November, Bhiwandi Effluent Treatment/Restricted Substances/MSDS with Health and Safety.

Contact: admin@sdc.org.in

17 June and 21 October SDC Appreciation of ISO Colour Fastness Testing Program SGS. Contact: George.lam@sgs.com

diary dates

Diary of SDC events

15 December, Bangalore Colour Fastness/Restricted Substances/ Exhaust Dyeing of Cellulosics.

Contact: admin@sdc.org.in

20 September and 13 December, Bradford

In addition we have training courses coming up in: Taiwan, contact: Cindy.Chen@sgs.com Turkey, contact: Nadin.hacerestunc@sgs.com Vietnam, contact: Phong.tran@sgs.com Ask about our in-house and tailor-made training courses!

Contact: karens@sdc.org.uk

15 Issue 2 | 2011

Professional communications require professional communicators

wewriteit designitprintit buildithostit

The Ark Group of Companies – professionals in the art of communication

the Ark Giraffe design & print

PR & MARKETING

The Ark Group of Companies Unit 4 Pudsey Business Park 47 Kent Road Leeds LS28 9BB Tel: 0113 256 8712 Fax: 0113 256 8724 Email: info@thearkdesign.co.uk