Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals, has received the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) 2025 Sustainability & Innovation Award for its groundbreaking DENIM HALO process, a denim pretreatment and dyeing technology that allows brands and mills to create popular distressed denim styles with far less environmental impact and cleaner chemical use.

Distressed denim has remained a consumer favorite for years, but achieving the worn and faded look has traditionally required harmful processes like manual scraping, potassium permanganate sprays, or heavy stone-washing. Conventional indigo and sulfur dyeing methods also consume large amounts of water and energy, producing high levels of waste.

DENIM HALO offers a cleaner alternative through its innovative chemistry, DIRSOL RD, and a wide range of advanced dyes developed over decades of research. This approach creates laser-friendly denim with excellent contrast on deep indigo and black tones.

The patented DIRSOL RD pretreatment improves dye viscosity and enables surface-level dyeing while reducing water use, energy demand, and greenhouse gas emissions during processing and wash-off.

Beyond sustainability, the technology also improves safety and cost efficiency. It allows mills to create distressed effects without changing their usual dye recipes or machinery. By supporting laser etching, DENIM HALO eliminates the need for hazardous chemicals and manual labor, reduces caustic soda use during sulfur mercerizing, and simplifies the washdown process. It also enhances fabric strength, minimizes yarn shrinkage, and lowers overall chemical consumption.