Green wet processing: effects on denim fabric properties

Denim washing is a long-standing process used to create the fashionable and comfortable denim fabric. However, as sustainability becomes a growing concern, industry experts have turned to innovative techniques to reduce the environmental impact and pollution effect of denim manufacturing. One such method is the use of anhydrous enzymes in the washing process, along with incorporating recycled fiber into denim production to minimize waste. The aim of this paper is to examine the impact of these enzymes on the properties of denim fabric that contains recycled cotton fibers. These results will be compared to the effects of stone washing. The novelty is to produce the effect given by pumice using recycled fibers with minimal degradation minimizing treatment steps, environmental impact, then the impact on workers. To evaluate the factors involved in optimizing the anhydrous washing process (percentage of recycled cotton fibers, enzyme concentration, and enzyme type), a full factorial experimental design was conducted. This method gives more analysis of the effect of several factors. These experiments were carried out using the E-flow machine that consumes a few water quantities. Various properties such as tear strength, tensile strength, change of color shade, and thickness were evaluated. The results indicate that this type of treatment produces the desired effect with minimal losses, while also offering significant economic, energy, and environmental benefits.