DÜSSELDORF, Germany — May 3, 2021 — Asahi Kasei renewed its membership in the Business Call to Action (BCtA) led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in February 2021 with businesses in India for Bemberg™ regenerated cellulose fiber (cupro) and Microza™ polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) hollow-fiber membrane.
Since joining BCtA in 2016, Asahi Kasei’s support for stakeholders in the Bemberg value chain in India from raw material to garment as well as the collaboration with academia have been highly evaluated as a business model combining commercial activities and sustainable development. Bemberg is the brand name of a regenerated cellulose fiber made from cotton linter, the fuzz around cotton seeds. It is widely used for the lining of high-quality suits as well as many other applications such as outerwear, innerwear, traditional garments, bedding, and sportswear.
Advanced Water Filtration systems
While continuing to create new employment opportunities in the textile industry in India and to foster young talent that will lead the next generation of India’s fashion industry, Asahi Kasei is additionally advancing plans to install industrial wastewater treatment systems which are essential for the environmentally friendly sustainable development of the textile industry. For this the company is planning to utilize Microza, a hollow-fiber membrane for filtration systems used in a wide range of fields spanning from chemicals and high-precision electronics to potable water, wastewater, foods, pharmaceuticals, power plants, and environmental protection.
Outline of Bemberg™ business in India
This is the 45th year since Bemberg yarn was first exported to India in 1976. Traditional garments worn by many women are made of Bemberg in India. With export volumes growing to over 4,000 tons per year, India is currently at the heart of the Bemberg business. Through direct and indirect involvement in the Bemberg value chain in India from raw material to garment, Asahi Kasei contributes to the development of techniques and the growth of human resources in India including the enhancement of skills, the securement of stable incomes, and the creation of new employment opportunities. Asahi Kasei procures from India a great amount of the cotton linter used for the production of Bemberg yarn. To support local manufacturers, Asahi Kasei lends equipment to remove linter from cotton seeds free of charge, and has its own engineers provide the local workers with training and technical instructions for improving productivity. Cotton linter imported to Japan is processed into Bemberg yarn, which is exported to India and sold to weavers. Asahi Kasei also provides ongoing technical guidance on weaving and dyeing in the fabric production process in India.
New endeavor with Microza in India
In addition to the above, Asahi Kasei also proposes that customers install Microza systems to treat wastewater from fabric dyeing, aiming for zero wastewater emission from dyeing plants, in order to protect the environment surrounding the plants and to conserve valuable natural water resources by recycling the water which is used.
Posted May 3, 2021
Source: Asahi Kasei Europe GmbH
