Xeros and Yilmak Team on Water

Jul 05, 2023

A new garment finishing technology aims to leave fabrics stronger and softer, with less impact to the environment.

U.K.-based materials science company Xeros has joined forces with garment finishing manufacturer Yilmak to incorporate its XFN finishing innovation into a machine that washes and finishes textiles such as denim. The lower-impact technology utilizes less water, chemistry and energy than conventional methods and gives garments greater tear strength while promoting a soft hand-feel. The process also reduces the cycle time needed per garment load.

The technology utilizes patented polymer spheres, dubbed XOrbs, that bounce against fabrics in a closed-loop system called an XDrum. The XOrbs replace pumice stones in the finishing process, which last for just a few cycles before breaking down into sludge.

Turkey-based Yilmak creates dyeing, ozone, washing and drying equipment for textile producers, and Xeros’ XFN technology will be incorporated across a range of the group’s machines. Those Xeros-enabled technologies will be distributed globally by KRM Tekstil Boya San, a garment-dyeing and washing specialty firm in Turkey.

The industry has been fingered for its outsized water consumption, with the World Bank estimating that it uses 93 billion cubic meters of water, “enough to meet the consumption needs of five million people,” each year. Around 20 percent of that wastewater is used for dyeing and finishing treatments, contributing greatly to clean water scarcity across the globe.

“The apparel industry is under increasing pressure from both consumers and legislators to reduce its impact on the planet,” Neil Austin, CEO of Xeros, said. Earlier this year, the company introduced a filter for microplastics that could help upcycle tiny polymer chips and fibers. “We are very pleased to have signed this contract with likeminded partner YILMAK which enables us to bring our technologies to the global market.” Their testing has shown that it saves 50 percent of the water typically used in finishing.

Yilmak general manager of sales and marketing M. Furkan Civelek said the collaboration “will bring about a new era in the sustainable denim garment washing industry.”

The first Xeros-enabled YILMAK machine will be an Ecogreen EGW-500, 5000-liter finishing machine. The technology will debut at the ITMA sustainable textile innovation trade show in Milan this month.

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