Alchemie Technology, based in Cambridge, UK claims that its new Novara precision digital finishing system may help European textile producers save more than €1 million a year and return to profitability as energy prices surge across the continent.

In comparison to previous methods, Novara uses high-velocity jetting technology to apply nano-droplets of functional finishes only where they are needed on fabrics, using 85 percent less energy and up to 50 percent less chemistry.

Traditional textile finishing is a high-energy technique that involves immersing the entire fabric in a chemical bath and adding roughly 80% water by mass to the cloth, which must then be dried.

EU gas prices surged during 2021, and have since risen even more dramatically as a result of the situation in Ukraine, which has reignited global energy supply fears. The price of European gas has climbed from €16 per MWh a year ago to €142 per MWh on March 1st.

To dry fabrics that have been through a padding bath takes over 2 kWh per kilogram of material. According to Alchemie, rising gas prices have increased the annual energy expenses for a typical EU textile finishing plant by over €1 million a year.

Novara precision digital finishing is a low-energy, single-sided application technology that allows functional finishes to be applied at up to 20 times the concentration of previous procedures, with better quality and consistency. This can save you up to 85% on your energy bill.

The Novara method also has a considerable environmental benefit. The energy savings equate to about 1 kilogram of CO2 per kg of carbon emissions decreased. Each year, the EU manufactures approximately 130,000 tonnes of technical textile fabric. Switching to Novara technology would result in a carbon dioxide reduction of more than 100,000 tonnes.

Simon Kew, managing director of Alchemie Technology, said that the EU technical textiles industry is being crippled by energy costs, and the situation is progressively worse. Gas prices in Europe have grown considerably in the last year, with expenses increasing again and putting a strain on EU firms. Many textile producers are now battling to stay afloat as the cost of their supply contracts has risen in response to recent energy price increases. Their Novara precision digital finishing system can help technical textile finishing enterprises return to profitability by reducing energy costs by up to 85%.