Why Pigments? Why PERACTO® Pigment Technology?

Pigments have become a trending topic in textiles and the key question we get at Farbenpunkt, is: „Why Pigments?“ Specifically: „Why PERACTO® Pigment Technology?“

In this entry we want to take some time to introduce you to the key benefits of pigments…Particularly, the advantages of textile coloring with PERACTO®.

Reduced Water Footprint.

Less Water Consumption. Less Wastewater.

The textile industry is one of the largest polluters in the world.

In particular, the production processes of textile dyeing and textile printing are key contributors to its negative impact.

About 20% of the global waste water pollution is the result of industrial sewage from the fashion industry (United Nations).

The textile industry needs solutions that enable a reduced water footprint, urgently!

With PERACTO pigment technology, water-intensive production steps, such as washing and steaming, can be eliminated from digital inkjet printing and continuous dyeing of textiles.

Pigment solutions can positively contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 6) of reducing water scarcity and pollution.

Reduced Carbon Footprint.

Less Energy Consumption. Less GHG Emissions.

„The fashion industry accounts for around 3-10% of global GHG emissions.“ (McKinsey)

Needless to say, that we have a responsibility to reduce the carbon footprint of our industry.

With our pigment-based inks and dyes, textile manufacturers can bypass energy-intensive production steps, such as high-temperature washing, steaming and additional drying from their textile coloration process.

By doing so, they can substantially reduce their energy consumption and significantly cut their carbon emissions.

Pigments, therefore, positively contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of combating climate change and its impacts (SDG13).

Simplified Process.

Fewer Production Steps. Smooth Application

The environmental achievement of eliminating the most resource-intensive process steps is an important one – and the key priority!

But, we also want to highlight the other obvious, that by eliminating these process steps we can also significantly SIMPLIFY what in reality is a very complex and time-consuming process.

Pigments can make the production process short and sweet – A key benefit our customers highly appreciate!

Continue reading if you would like us to elaborate on how pigments can even further lighten the load...

Substrate Independence.

One Ink Fits All. Increased Flexibility.

Pigments cut the production process short but they can even further reduce process complexities!

Non-pigment dye technologies require substrate dependent dye chemistry to bond with the textile fiber.

Not with pigments! Pigments are substrate independent, which means they can be used on a wide variety of textiles!

In other words, textile manufacturers can print natural, synthetic and fiber blends without having to switch their ink set up.

Increased Efficiencies.

Lower Production Cost. Accelerated Time-To-Market.

Pigments increase efficiencies!

By shortening the application process, increasing substrate flexibility, and by requiring fewer resources, pigments can substantial decrease production costs and accelerate time-to-market.

Furthermore, due to the simplified application process, less equipment and investment costs are required, making textile coloration more accessible for small to large textile manufacturers, and provides a unique opportunity for the return to local production.

Improved Performance.

Softer Handle. Vibrant Colors.

Throughout this series, we talked a lot of about the process improving benefits of pigments.

Let’s take a closer look at the performance side of things:

Historically, pigments did not satisfy industry expectations regarding color gamut, vibrancy, hand feel, or color fastness. To this day, there is still a lot of disbelief in the capabilities of pigments.

BUT, trust us when we say that pigments have made great strides in recent years!

They may not fully match the color properties of reactive or acid dyes – yet, but they are certainly capable of making a great sparring partner!

Outperform conventional pigment inks in the market and unlock vibrant colors, good color fastness and great softness to the touch with our high-quality PERACTO® Pigment Inks.

Advanced Formulation.

Embedded Pigments. Integrated Binder.

Throughout this post we shared many great advantages of our pigment ink and dye technology PERACTO®… by now you are probably wondering how it all works!

PERACTO® is a nano-technology with integrated binder capabilities. A unique two-step binding process leaves pigments embedded within the textile (rather than merely adhering to the textile surface), providing it with superior color strength, rub resistance and wash fastness properties.