Progetto 19.8 introduces Spike synthetic stones
For the past two years, Progetto 19.8 has been working on developing a synthetic alternative to pumice. The Veneto-based company tested various compounds, shapes, weights and sizes before finding the combination that most faithfully replicates the effect of real pumice for its "Spike" synthetic stones.
The synthetic stones are based on a thermoplastic elastomer compound that can be reused and recycled. Progetto 19.8 tested a set of Spike stones for 3,000 hours, finding that they lose only 6% of their weight and size. The use of real pumice would have required large quantities (in the order of 180 tonnes, at the end of the process the weight of pumice is said to come down to some 60 tonnes, generating 120 tonnes of mud). Using Progetto 19.8’s Spike stones reduces rinsing water by 80% and sludge derived from pumice in wastewater by 98%, the company claims. It takes back the synthetic tones when they are no longer efficient, to regenerate them and make new ones, in a fully circular loop.
Progetto 19.8 spent most of the two years of research and development testing different possible shapes. It found that an icosahedron, a solid figure with twenty points, gave the best results. They are now developed in that form, in different sizes and weights. “This shape creates almost the same effects as pumice. Spike also generates a special shine that real stones do not give and it leaves the garments perfectly clean and free of lint and fraying typical of other treatments. The effects can be increased with enzymes,” company founder Leonardo Calzavara tells Inside Denim.
Several laundries and brands are working with the latest version of these synthetic stones. BlueJeans Lavanderie (featured in Inside Denim issue 6), Everest Lavanderia and a leading denim manufacturer have collaborated on the development of Spike.
Mr. Leonardo says that research never stops at Progetto 19.8. He seeks to further optimise the stones based on feedback from partners. Spike is not Progetto 19.8's first innovation for denim processing. He had previously developed and patented a plastic sheath to protect zipper hinges during washing processes.
Image: Progetto 19.8
