WASHINGTON — Bayer MaterialScience and Bluesign Technologies said they are forming a strategic partnership to advance initiatives aimed at the sustainable and safe production of coated textiles.
Switzerland-based Bluesign, a firm that assesses the impact of chemical use in the textile industry, also certified Bayer’s waterborne polyurethane dispersions in its Impranil line and is now providing information on the Bayer line in its database.
As a result, textile producers searching for chemicals with the Bluesign certification will now have access to information on the Bayer line and system, which will be a part of Bluesign’s database along with some 5,000 chemicals used in the industry.
“Bayer MaterialScience has been supporting its customers for a long time now in achieving goals of both innovation and sustainability,” said Nicholas Smith, global head of textile coating at Bayer. “With our waterborne, totally solvent-free polyurethane raw materials, users currently can greatly improve industrial hygiene, cut energy consumption by 50 percent, and water use by as much as 95 percent.”
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Bayer MaterialScience, a Bayer Group company, is one of the world’s leading polymer companies with 30 production sites around the globe, focused on manufacturing high-tech polymer materials and developing innovative solutions. It said it recently set a milestone with the introduction of Insquin, an integrated package for the textile industry based on waterborne polyurethane technology.
Under the Bluesign system, criteria is defined for chemical use, including how to responsibly use resources, manage hazardous materials and eliminate dangerous substances.
The system advises manufacturers how to minimize hazards to people and the environment, gives them information on restricted use substances and aims to cut costs along the processing chain.
“We are very pleased to welcome a worldwide leading raw-materials supplier like Bayer MaterialScience as a Bluesign systems partner,” said Peter Waeber, chief executive officer of Bluesign. “The company increases the range of certified substances that customers in the textile industry can use to achieve production operations that are compatible with both people and the environment. Bayer also supports our goal of further establishing the Bluesign system as a global standard for a sustainable textile industry with the best possible consumer protection.”
Bluesign said its system has been adopted by leading global textile manufacturers, as well as the chemical and machine industries. In addition, it said well-known athleticwear brands and fashion brands also subscribe to its technologies.