Rudolf Hub1922: sunny stories of sustainable chemistry
Hub1922, the denim-focused arm of German chemicals company Rudolf, harnessed the power of collaboration at Kingpins Amsterdam to showcase how its products could be used to produce the same effects as conventional chemicals but in a sustainable – biobased or recycled – way.
The initial idea for the Blue Beach display (pictured) centred around sand – or rather, the lack of it – in its new enzyme-based product Rucolase DWS, which provides an abrasive effect on denim using cellulose and lignin derived from fruit stones (rather than the traditional silicate) plus an enzyme designed for low temperatures.
Simone Bernacchia, R&D manager at Rudolf Hub 1922, told Inside Denim: “When we put the powder on the wet garments, it creates a paste, so the distribution of the product is even and it stays on the garments. If you use sand or silicate, it goes into the machine, so you lose a lot of product and the workers could breathe it in. This product is 100% biodegradable and biological.”
Around the ‘beach’ were denim articles, designed by Chanel-owned design studio and manufacturer Fashion Art, that showed the products and effects in a novel way.
A deck chair and umbrella were made from denim with a water-repellent coating, and a swimsuit included an antibacterial finish – all made with Rudolf’s bio range, with raw materials from nature. “We simulated the microstructure of leaves to create the water repellent finish,” explained Mr Bernacchia.
Advancements in chemistry and technology mean there are now sustainable options available that achieve the same or better performance, added Mr Bernacchia, in a way that wasn’t possible 10 years ago. The only difference is they might cost slightly more. But if used with technology from Tonello or Jeanologia, for instance, the cost would fall as less product can be used with nebulisation systems. “We could use a 1-1 solution instead of four or five times that,” he adds.
Industry collaborations help to showcase products – a move Alberto de Conti, head of Rudolf Hub1922, believes is important. He says the company is keen to have direct dialogues with brands and retailers, so they can work together on delivering the sustainable – and biological – message. “On top of proving a better product, it offers the opportunity to tell a great story," he concluded.
The raw materials used in the Offuel range can be grouped into five families: substances of botanical origin, such as plant extracts, polysaccharides, peptides and vegetal proteins; substances of biological origin or produced through biotechnologies; salts, water, basic acids and alkalis; substances from waste of biological origin; or substances recycled from plastics.
