Smart-Indigo: dyeing with electricity instead of water

Smart-Indigo: dyeing with electricity instead of water
Eva Engelen
Nov 10, 2020

Smart-Indigo: dyeing with electricity instead of water

For dyeing our Italian denim mill, Pure Denim, uses a patented technology named Smart-Indigo which is an electrochemical process using considerably fewer resources than existing methods. Only relying on electricity, water, indigo pigment and caustic soda, this method requires 6 times less energy leading to a 10 times reduced carbon footprint (for the dyeing process).

The SmartIndigo solution is the most sustainable way to dye denim because it completely skips the use of chemicals, causes zero environmental burdens and health hazards and only discharges oxygen.

This is in sharp contrast to the large amounts of heavily polluted wastewater being released from conventional dying processes, causing bathing and drinking risks and severe biological degradation of many Asian and African waterways. Due to the release of high concentrations of persistent chemicals and heavy metals, many rivers that are of paramount importance for local communities and biodiversity, are now heavily polluted.

Want to know more about water pollution issues related to the fashion and textiles industry? Check out the documentary River Blue that portrays this problem very strongly.

You can find more information on the Smart-Indigo here.

Read more about the HNST production process or discover more HNST stories. 

More Stories

Look good while doing good, our jeans are fully vegan
1

Look good while doing good, our jeans are fully vegan

As a fully circular company, we want you to look good, but we also want you to feel good about what you put on your body. That’s why, through collaborating with our production partners, we were able to become a 100% vegan brand. This means we can proudly say we produce a full range of premium denim using no animal products, fibers or leather.
hall of fail
2

hall of fail

We’re not perfect, but at least we’re honest. The HNST #halloffail includes topics that we're still working on and/or struggling with.
HNST debuts ReBlack™, sculpting the future of black denim
3

HNST debuts ReBlack™, sculpting the future of black denim

Clothing can pass numerous borders before ending up in your wardrobe. A lack of regulation and transparency throughout the fashion supply chain makes it difficult to monitor chemicals, which are still too often endangering our health and planet. The HNST answer? ReBlack™.
Black Friday: an hnst opinion
4

Black Friday: an hnst opinion

We’re not really into Black Friday. For us big sales events, like Black Friday, are a symptom of an ill industry, one that has lost itself in an ever-rising pace of production and consumption. Let's love, repair and cherish what we already have.
The pollution of the circular economy vocabulary
5

The pollution of the circular economy vocabulary

59% of European fashion giants’ sustainability claims are unsubstantiated or misleading. This communication is polluting the industry.
hnst x Veerle Dejaeger
6

hnst x Veerle Dejaeger

We had the opportunity to create a unique jeans together with Veerle Dejaeger, a young aspiring and inspiring actress. The result is a pair of jeans with an organic print that represents searching and finding your individuality.
Pre-sales to tackle overproduction
7

Pre-sales to tackle overproduction

To tackle overproduction and deadstock, we are launching our newest collection via pre-sales.
Meet our Belgian spinning partner
8

Meet our Belgian spinning partner

In Belgium our recycled denim fibers are spun into the HNST yarn. Get to know the experts behind this process.
Pure Denim: high quality weaving in Italy
9

Pure Denim: high quality weaving in Italy

In Italy, our HNST yarn is woven into a fabric. Meet our Italian denim mill and learn more about the technicalities of denim fabric.
Smart-Indigo: dyeing with electricity instead of water
10

Smart-Indigo: dyeing with electricity instead of water

Over the last decades indigo dyeing, which finds its origine in nature, has become a synthetic process with a considerable impact. With the use of electric, we're able to move away from these harmful practices.
Our HNST footprint
11

Our HNST footprint

HNST has nothing to hide. Therefore we honestly share with you our environmental footprint and remarkable savings.
Morning After Spray: refreshing without washing
12

Morning After Spray: refreshing without washing

40-80% of the total greenhouse gases (CO2) are emitted during the use phase of a garment. To help you reduce this impact, we have developed a Morning After Spray.