One Way to sustainability: Blue jeans go green with Soorty and Archroma

For us all, inner beauty matters just as much as outer beauty. In 2012, after more than two years of development, Archroma launched a game-changing sustainability service, ONE WAY, designed to demonstrate to the textile industry that it is possible to bring together the dual objectives of ecology and cost efficiency. The ONE WAY Calculator provides an extensive and clear view on the resource impact of application processes and recipes. As transparency is key for sustainability, ONE WAY has successfully become a go-to tool for manufacturers, brands and retailers in the selection of colors and effects that are gentler for our planet and future generations.

The Customer

Soorty is one of the fastest growing vertical denim manufacturers in Pakistan. By using its state of the art vertical setup and over three decades of enriched experience in denim production, Soorty produces 5.5 million meters of fabric and around 3.5 million garments per month globally. This is enabling them to fulfill the fast growing demands of major international brands.

Sustainable manufacturing is becoming a key focus for the apparel industry, and Soorty’s retailers have been calling for them to introduce processes that use less energy, less water, and reliable sources of chemicals. This poses no small challenge for Soorty, as conventional processes do not make it easy to produce fabric sustainably.

The Pitch

Soorty thus asked each of their key vendors to present on how the existing facilities – particularly the machines used for processing– could be optimized, with the aim of enabling Soorty to produce more sustainable fabrics.

As one of their strongest business partners, we were asked to give the first presentation. It was a great opportunity for us to demonstrate what Archroma can do and how far advanced we are on sustainability.

We sat down to a brainstorming session and decided to focus on our most eco-advanced innovations. In particular, with our ADVANCED DENIM dyeing technology, allied to our ONE WAY sustainability calculator, we had a compelling argument for why we were the right partner to help them achieve their sustainability targets.

“With their sustainability and environmental awareness, Soorty is set to play an influential role in the globally sustainable denim industry of tomorrow. Archroma is proud to support them on that path.”

Partners In Sustainability

At Archroma we are not just saying that sustainability is important – It’s our nature.

We presented our work under the heading “A sustainable partner for economic and environmental sustainability”. The ADVANCED DENIM process is just amazing: it can bring massive savings of up to 92% in water, 87% in cotton waste and 30% in energy.

The presentation truly culminated with the proposition that Soorty use our ONE WAY sustainability calculator to generate their own sustainability targets, and assess their CO₂ footprint by comparing ADVANCED DENIM with conventional denim dyeing.

Our ONE WAY sustainability calculator and ADVANCED DENIM technology present a unique combination of innovation and sustainability. They were definitely the highlights of the event and convinced the team at Soorty that these tools should be a “top priority” in the steps forward.

The result was that Archroma was chosen as a core partner for sustainability development at Soorty.

Partner In Success

Soorty’s latest collection was therefore developed in collaboration with Archroma, using the ADVANCED DENIM dyeing process and our unique ONE WAY sustainability calculator.

ADVANCED DENIM and ONE WAY are also integral to their promotional campaign, highlighting highly attractive added value for Soorty’s brand and retailer customers. In particular, we used the ONE WAY calculator to generate Soorty’s sustainability score card comparing ADVANCED DENIM to conventional indigo dyeing.

The new collection has been launched under the name “Eco Colors”, with resources savings and the carbon footprint taking center stage in Soorty’s promotion and marketing activities.

Soorty is becoming a go-to supplier for jeans that combine ecology and high-quality – all thanks to its successful partnership with Archroma.

Aamir Shamsi

Aamir joined Archroma in 1999 and is currently working as Product Line Manager in Denim & Brand Marketing in Pakistan. In his 17 years with the company he has grown a deep passion for creating value into the business. Aamir has developed strong relationships with brands, retailers and customers and he's committed to introduce them with Archroma's sustainable innovation and solutions to help them meet the modern challenges of today's textile industry.