Indian textile giant Arvind Limited and technology company PurFi Global LLC have announced a joint venture to reduce the amount of textile waste going to landfills.
The Project: PurFi and Arvind will locate the first in a series of planned fibre rejuvenation facilities near one of Arvind’s manufacturing facilities in India.
- This facility will process textile wastes—white cotton, coloured cotton, denim and synthetics—into virgin-like fibres for reuse from two lines, where each line will have a 5,500-tonne capacity per year with plans to expand over the next five years.
- The investment for these two lines is envisaged at $25-30 million.
- Expansion plans include an additional production line that removes elastomers from fabrics utilising another of PurFi’s proprietary technologies.
- The joint venture is slated to start construction in the fourth quarter of 2022 with full production expected to commence in the fourth quarter of 2023.
PurFi’s Proprietary Technology: PurFi’s technology, the company claims, requires significantly fewer resources than the production of virgin textiles.
- When compared with manufacturing virgin polyester, nylon or cotton, PurFi fibre manufacturing uses up to 96% less water and 90% less energy.
- The process also generates 85-90% fewer greenhouse gas emissions, the company claims.
- PurFi fibre tries to maintain the original quality and integrity of the input fabric and can integrate additional properties to make it even better.
- PurFi teases apart the fabric back into the original yarn, and from the yarn back to the original fibre.
- This process ensures the length is maintained and any resulting short fibers are filtered out.
- Source materials never touch unfiltered air or human hands once entering a rejuvenation line and are then penetrated by PurFi’s patented technology to achieve a reverse spinning technique.
- The fibres have the option to be treated with a purification technology prior to being baled into fibre.
- Additionally, PurFi can blend fibres together to make customised fabric compositions. All of this is done at the fibre level instead of at the yarn or fabric level, which withstands washings and wear-and-tear much longer.
- PurFi fibres can be used in meta-aramid and para-aramid textiles as well.
What They Said:
We share the common value system and excellent working relationship with PurFi Global, and this partnership will not only provide an innovative solution to deal with issue of textile waste but will also strengthen our motto of being Fundamentally Right. We look forward to working with these technologies to fuel the next set of growth in textile manufacturing and at exceptionally less environmental impact.
— Punit Lalbhai
Executive Director
Arvind Limited
Unlike the traditional ‘one-and-done’ recycling approach, PurFi’s technology can rejuvenate waste materials into virgin-like fibers 17 times, and it can be done at scale. Working together, we believe we can lead the textile and fashion industries into a new era of sustainable practices, transforming textile manufacturing into a truly closed loop cycle.
— Ashish Kumar
President & Chief Executive Officer
Arvind Limited
Our unique tracers that are specific to PurFi rejuvenated fibers provide customers with a clear line of sight to the origin of the fibers they source. This authentic product identifier is of great value to manufacturers like Arvind, who are committed to providing transparency into their sustainability practices and understand that rejuvenated materials have moved from ‘nice to have’ to ‘must have’ in their product offerings.
— Joy Nunn
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
PurFi Global LLC
