Offuel: a ‘complete toolbox’ for wet denim processing
19/10/2021
Introduced by Rudolf’s marketing and fashion division head, Alberto De Conti (pictured, right), the innovation was described as the company’s very first range of chemical auxiliaries for denim finishing that are at least 90% made up of alternatives to crude oil or components based on recycled materials (or both).
Dr De Conti said that many of the eleven finishing auxiliaries were in fact around 97% or even 98% made up of crude oil alternatives, but in the interest of transparency the business had aligned its figure to the lowest number, which in this case was 90%.
All eleven chemical agents are either existing Rudolf technologies – such as Cycle-Logic, launched this past summer – or more recent innovations.
Five different families of renewable raw materials largely form the Offuel range, including: substances of botanical origin; substances of biological origin (or produced using biotechnology); salts, water, basic acids and alkalis; substances recycled from biological waste; substances recycled from plastics (either industrial waste or post-consumer).
For denim, Rucogen Upcycle RNB was singled out as the “crown jewel” within the latter group of plastic waste-derived substances. Specifically, this innovation is based on chemically recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste plastic bottles, which Rudolf said it has turned into valuable textile chemistry. The final product is a dispersing agent for denim washing.
All eleven Offuel finishing auxiliaries offer designers a “complete toolbox” for wet denim processing, Dr De Conti emphasised, with a wide variety of dark-light finishes possible.
Further, all products have been approved by Bluesign (meaning they clear Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals [ZDHC]’s gateway level three) and all are compliant with Oeko-Tex Standard 100.
Dr De Conti stressed to members of the press that chemical companies such as Rudolf could be “a big part of the solution” to the pressures of finite crude oil resources, as well as help with problem-solving efforts regarding climate change.
Ultimately, he said, the company’s vision is to extend to Offuel the same verification process that it applies to performance chemicals during garment manufacturing. “Through the verification certificate that we release, manufacturers can be recognised for their efforts and brands and retailers can be reassured that their garments are finished only with Rudolf Hub1922 Offuel products,” he explained.
Dr De Conti stated that he was confident that Offuel’s chemical auxiliaries could be applied to all denim garments, but that this was “only part of the story”.
He said that Rudolf has plans to move into auxiliaries for denim fabrics in the future and singled out “all indigo dyes worldwide” as an area of issue in terms of their reliance on crude oil, concluding with the statement that he hoped other denim stakeholders would join Rudolf in seeking out more sustainable solutions.
Dr De Conti will present Offuel to the industry alongside designer and G-Star Raw’s denim circularity and sustainability specialist, Adriana Galijasevic (pictured, left), during the second day of the all-digital Kingpins24 on October 20.
Image via Rudolf Hub1922’s Instagram (@hub_1922)
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