Available online at www.sciencedirect.

com Current Opinion in

ScienceDirect Green and Sustainable Chemistry

Laser and ozone applications for circularity journey

in denim manufacturing - A developing country
perspective
Rajkishore Nayak1, Majo George2, Lalit Jajpura3,
Asimananda Khandual4 and Tarun Panwar5

Abstract
Denim is recognized across the globe for its vintage worn out Keywords
Circular fashion, Sustainable denim, Laser, Ozone, Environmental
effect, rough, and tough look along with comfort. Its market
pollution.
share is growing tremendously due to its popularity in all
segments of consumers. Despite several advantages, denim
manufacturing negatively impacts the environment as it is Introduction
associated with the use of large amount of water, energy, Denim garments are found in the wardrobes of all age
chemicals, and emission of greenhouse gases. This paper groups due to their comfort, worn-out, and fashionable
highlights the potential of digital laser technology and water- look [1e3]. However, the denim manufacturing process
less ozone technology to promote sustainable chemistry by is resource intensive as it consumes a substantial
reducing environmental pollution in denim manufacturing. amount of water, fabrics, chemicals, and energy, in
Using the extant literature and collecting data from two different addition to generating a large amount of effluent and
companies, this paper highlights the sustainable technologies sludge [4,5]. Several global denim industries generate
in denim chemical processing and their significance in circular greenhouse gases (GHGs) and cause ocean and
fashion (CF). It was found that the use of digital laser tech- groundwater pollution; for which large capital invest-
nology in denim patterning, color fading, and surface engraving ment is needed to mitigate the problems [6,7]. Denim
reduced energy and water consumption; saved a significant chemical processes, such as scouring, bleaching, dyeing,
amount of chemicals; and prevented effluents from getting sandblasting, and potassium permanganate (PP) spray
discharged to the water bodies. Similarly, the application of are the major cause of environmental concerns [1,8].
ozone in denim washing and color fading helped to resolve the
above-mentioned issues in denim manufacturing. The findings The recent drive to achieve sustainability has led denim
from two Vietnamese fashion companies showed that using manufacturers and retailers to adopt sustainable chem-
laser and ozone technologies not only help to achieve sus- ical routes [9] and circular economy models [10]. The
tainability but also lead toward fashion circularity. entire life cycle impact of a denim garment is significant,
which should be substantially reduced to become
environmentally friendly [11]. Saving resources (i.e.,
Addresses
1
School of Communication & Design, RMIT University Viet Nam
water, energy, fabrics, and chemicals) and recycling ef-
2
School of Business & Management, RMIT University Viet Nam fluents and solid wastes by using advanced technologies
3
Dr BR Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar, Punjab, are the major approaches in the drive toward circular
India
4
fashion (CF) [12e14]. Advanced technologies, such as
Odisha University of Technology and Research, Bhubaneswar, laser [15e17], ozonation [18,19], enzyme applications
Odisha, India
5
School of Fashion and Textiles, RMIT University Melbourne, Australia
[20], ultrasound [9], and plasma applications [21] are
gaining impetus in fashion and textile manufacturing. In
Corresponding author: Nayak, Rajkishore (rajkishore.nayak@rmit. a global fashion market, about 12.5% of the brands are
edu.vn) taking the right approach in a circularity journey;
therefore, it is necessary for other brands to take the
Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry 2022,
38:100680
right steps for a systemic shift toward CF models [22].
The major aim of this paper is to discuss the notable
This review comes from a themed issue on Sustainable chemistry
technologies, laser [15,23] and ozone [18,24], for denim
for a circular fashion Industry
industries’ journey toward circularity.
Edited by Pierguiseppe Morone, Idiano D’adamo and Gülsah Yilan
Available online 4 October 2022
Sustainable technologies for circular
For complete overview of the section, please refer the article
fashion
collection - Sustainable chemistry for a circular fashion Industry
The global fashion brands are increasingly adopting
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogsc.2022.100680
various paths toward a circular economy through the CF
2452-2236/© 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. model. The CF model, which operates on the principles

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2 Sustainable chemistry for a circular fashion Industry

of recycling, giving new life to old materials, reducing head can move as per the design and create a series of
waste, and reducing pollution is an alternative to the dots with various resolutions depending on the resolu-
existing linear economy model [25,26]. The redesigning tion of the graphic image. Torn or ripped effect in the
of denim is on the rise to transform the way they are denim fabrics is produced by the intense heat using the
made in a linear economy model toward a circular high power laser [21].
economy model [27]. The major objective of CF model
is to create value from the products when they approach Sustainable benefits of laser
end-of-life (EOL) allowing them to retain their value Laser application has several sustainable benefits
during the entire life cycle. The CF model helps to compared to the traditional methods of denim
reduce the problem of textile wastes and dependency on manufacturing, which is discussed in this section [14].
virgin raw materials [25,28]. The CF model not only Table 1 compares the advantages of laser processing over
should recycle the products reaching their EOL but also the traditional method of denim manufacturing based
should improve sustainability in material usage on the industrial data collection.
including their manufacturing process [28,29]. The
sustinability benefits of CF model by using laser and 1. Environmental benefits: No environmental pollution
ozone technologies has been discussed in the next is caused because laser is a dry process. Laser is a
section. waterless technique and free from chemical usage
and water recycling problems.
Laser technology 2. Economic benefits: Laser application reduces the
Laser is an electromagnetic radiation that is produced by amount of water and energy to produce the same
the atoms due to energy states are changed in some effect, which helps to reduce the cost. Further, laser
materials [30e32]. Laser treatment is a noncontact application requires very low consumables, such as
technique that can be used to prepare desired products inks, chemicals, and auxiliaries; and laser reduces
from textiles to metals [33,34]. A range of lasing media operating time from 30 to 45 min in the traditional
(such as solid, liquid dye, gas, and semiconductor) is used process to two min.
to produce laser. The most common types of lasers used 3. Social benefits: Changing the attributes of designs is
in fashion and textiles are carbon dioxide (CO2) laser, easier as laser intensity can be easily adjusted by
neodymium yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd-YAG) laser, changing the power, which avoids the tedious tradi-
and diode laser with power output of 50e200 W [23,33]. tional routes. Further, the health hazards of workers
In fashion and textiles, CO2 laser, which is produced by from chemicals in traditional route are avoided by
the mixture of gases such as CO2, helium (He), and ni- laser application.
trogen (N), has been widely used [35]. In denim 4. Other benefits: The laser process can be applied to a
manufacturing, laser application is a faster and cleaner small piece of fabric or even finished garments.
process, compared to the traditional process, with low Three-dimensional (3D) features can be produced by
environmental impact as it is a waterless technique laser application, which is not possible by traditional
[8,30]. Figure 1 shows the color fading principles for processes. The laser produces designs with precision,
denim and some samples prepared by laser application. which is not possible by traditional processes.

Laser applications Ozone treatment

Laser has a wide range of applications in fashion and Ozone (O3) is a strong oxidizing agent that can be used to
textiles, which includes fabric fault detection [36], fabric create the color fading effects in denim in the batchwise
cutting [37], 3D body scanning [38], welded garment process [19,24]. For industrial applications in washing
production [34], barcode scanning [16,39], creating de- machines, ozone can be produced by applying UV (Ul-
signs in the products [40], patterning [41,42], whisker- traviolet) radiation to oxygen (O2) or by the corona
ing effect [43], and surface engraving [44]. The laser can discharge method [49]. Unlike traditional washing
create a vintage look in denim by creating the color methods, ozone is a gas and needs a significantly lower
fading effect that is traditionally achieved through PP amount of water as the fabrics need to be moistened
spray [5], bleach wash [45], or stonewash [7,46] (using before color removal [49]. Further, after the color removal
pumice stone e Figure 1 (a). The laser beam de- by ozone, one to two washes are necessary for the removal
composes the indigo dye present on the denim surface, of residual indigo from the fabric surface, which saves
which is then vaporized and vented away (Figure 1 (b)) water as the number of washes is lower using ozone.
[23]. Figure 1 (c) and (d) shows denim being faded by a Ozone is being widely used as a sustainable chemical
laser machine and patterns created in black denim by method to produce color fading effects in denim [18,50].
laser application, respectively. The fading effect of laser
depends on the pulse width, power density, and wave- Ozone applications
length of the laser beam [23]. Laser engraving can be Ozone is used for denim washing with very low amount of
used to create designs on fabric surface by scanning the water and creating fading effect. Ozone is a strong
designs with a laser scanner [47]. The engraving laser- oxidizing agent that removes indigo from the fabric
Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry 2022, 38:100680 www.sciencedirect.com
 Sustainable denim manufacturing by laser and ozone Nayak et al. 3

Figure 1

Color fading principles in denim: (a) by stone washing, (b) by laser; and various applications of laser technology for circularity in denim manufacturing:
(c) denim being faded by a laser machine, and (d) design created in a black denim by laser (Courtesy: Company A).

surface without any chemicals and water bath [51]. The [18], and Table 2 discusses the advantages of using
double bonds present in indigo are broken by the ozone over the traditional method in denim
oxidizing effect of ozone, which helps in the color manufacturing.
removal. Ozone reacts with the glycosidic bond of cotton
and the olefinic groups in the indigo dye, which are then 1. Environmental benefits: The ozonation process,
removed [19]. This process helps to create the faded especially dry ozonation, is free from the problems of
effect in the denim garments by the application of Ozone. effluent generation and recycling, which reduces
environmental pollution. The ozonation process
Sustainable benefits of ozone operates at a lower temperature, which saves energy
Similar to laser applications, ozone washing and onone and reduces GHG emissions.
fading are also considered to be a sustainable chemical 2. Economic benefits: The ozonation process saves
process for CF [19,52]. The application of ozone has chemicals, water, and energy, which helps the denim
several benefits compared to the traditional denim manufacturers to save production cost. No rinsing is
washing, which are discussed in the following section needed after the dry ozonation process, and only one

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4 Sustainable chemistry for a circular fashion Industry

Table 1

Advantages of laser processing over the traditional method of denim manufacturing (Collected from the two denim companies and
literature [15,29]).

Production parameters Traditional method Laser treatment

Duration Slower (30–45 min/batch) Faster (2 min/garment)

Productivity 50–60 garments/hr 150–200 garments/hr
Defect rate 3–5% 0%
Intricate patterns Hard to achieve as no specific area can be selected Achieved by using computer-aided design (CAD)
Number of operators per machine 2–3 operators needed for one machine One operator can handle 1–2 machines
Effluent treatment [48] Needed as the water contains residual chemicals Not needed as it is a waterless technique
Operating temperature 55  C Room temperature
Rinsing steps 3–4 2
Carbon footprint [32] High Low
Energy consumption [32] High Low
Number of steps 1 1

or two washing is needed after the wet ozonation Case studies from denim companies
process to remove the residual ozone and the Company selection
bleached indigo from denim, which saves water. Vietnam is a leading destination for many global fashion
3. Social benefits: As the ozonation process reduces the and textile brands [53]. There has been tremendous
environmental pollution, the society is free from the growth in the export market for different types of ap-
issues relating to environmental pollution. Similarly, parels, including denim, for which Vietnam was selected
it reduces the workload and fatigue of employees. for the case study. Two Vietnamese denim manufacturing
However, the use of ozone may have some negative companies were selected for this case study to assess the
consequences on human health, especially the circularity of using new technologies, such as laser and
workers. ozone. Out of the two companies, one is the leading
4. Other benefits: Ozonation process is faster due to denim manufacturer for global market (Company A), and
rapid color removal by ozone, which saves energy and the other is the leading denim manufacturer for local as
oprational costs. The traditional bleaching process well as global market (Company B). Company A has many
suffers from the problem of back staining of the white sustainable chemical processes in use, whereas Company
threads in denim and the pocket bags, whereas the B operates with the traditional technologies.
dry ozonation process is free from this, and the wet
ozonation may have a very low amount of back The information in this paper was collected following the
staining. steps mentioned in the literature by Farooque [54]. The
information in section 1 (Introduction) and section 2
(Sustainable technologies) was collected by a thorough
literature review mainly from the last two years. The
Table 2 keywords consisted of “fashion sustainability,” “circular
fashion,” “laser,” “ozonation,” “sustainable denim,” and
Comparison between the traditional and ozonation process in
denim manufacturing (collected from the two denim companies “ecofriendly processes” in the combination with fashion
and literature [19,50]). and textiles. Databases, such as Scopus, Google Scholar,
JSTOR, and EBSCOhost, were used for the research. A
Production methods/parameters Traditional Ozonation
total of 72 papers were collected using the above key-
BOD (Biochemical oxygen demand) level 42 24 words, of which 54 were referred to in this paper and 18
(mg/l) were excluded after screening using the exclusion criteria
COD (Chemical oxygen demand) level 122 78
(mg/l)
mentioned in the paper [54]. The company data were
Carbon footprint [18] High Low collected by discussion with the technical managers from
Duration of bleaching process 30–50 min 15 min the two denim companies. Results were analyzed from the
Energy consumption [18] High Low collected data from the denim companies and validated
Number of batches per day 12 24
with the literature [17,43,55] after which they were
Number of rinsing cycles after color fading 6–7 2–3
Operational temperature 40  C 35  C included in the “Findings” (See the section on, Findings).
Production/hr <50 kg >90 kg
Water usage [19] High Low Four steps were followed for the study which
included (a) literature review, (b) data collection from

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 Sustainable denim manufacturing by laser and ozone Nayak et al. 5

Table 3

Comparison of major findings from the two denim companies on sustainability and circularity.

Factors Company A (with sustainable technologies) Company B (without sustainable technologies)

Years in operation >20 years >50 years

Types of products Denim and jeans garments. Denim and jeans garments; knitted garments; and
home textiles.
Market segment Mainly global fashion brands. Both global and local fashion brands.
Number of employees 4500 10,000
Water consumption in denim 200–500 mL/batch in an ozone washer as ozone 150–200 L/batch in an industrial washer as water
washing is the washing medium. is the washing medium.
Water savings Saves up to 97% of water. No water saving.
Water recycling and reuse Recycles and reuses up to 97% of water by using No water recycling. Effluent discharged to the
reverse osmosis (RO) and ultra-filtration. common sewerage system poluting the water
courses.
Energy savings due to laser and Saves 70–90% of energy. No energy saving.
ozonation
Operating temperature 30–35  C. 55–80  C.
(washing)
Cost saving on chemicals 60–70% due to waterless and/or advanced No cost savings due to traditional route is used.
technologies are used.
Future directions (company The company will continue its venture on zero The company plans to adopt laser, ozone, and
perspective) waste and zero discharge policy. Industry 4.0 to become climate neutral.

denim companies, (c) analysis of results, and (d) com- (CSR). However, Company B, despite 50 years in
parison and conclusion. The literature review was done operation, is still using traditional technologies in denim
from the research publications mainly in the last five manufacturing, which involves higher energy and
years and various industry websites. Data collection resource usage; waste generation; and effluent
from denim companies involved structured discussions discharge. In addition to these findings, other important
with the technical managers from the two companies to findings from the two denim companies are summarized
meet the reesearch objectives. Analysis of results was in Table 3.
carried out from the data collected, which were then
included in the paper. Finally, comparisons and conclu-
sions were made based on the analysis of results and Conclusions
findings. Important findings
It was established from this research involving two
Findings Vietnamese denim companies that laser and ozone ap-
The findings from two Vietnamese denim companies plications can lead to achieve circularity in fashion
were carefully analyzed for sustainable benefits and manufacturing. Laser, being a water-less technique,
fashion circularity. From the discussions, we observed saves a huge amount of water (97%), energy (70e90%),
that Company A is better positioned compared to and chemical cost (60e70%). The process not only fades
Company B in the journey toward circularity in denim the denim efficiently but also gives different creative
manufacturing by adopting sustainable technologies, effects with precision to denim within few minutes at a
such as laser and ozonation. Laser is helping Company A lower production cost. Similarly, ozone washing of denim
in material savings due to zero rejection rate; 70e90% can help to achieve circularity as it saves water, energy,
energy savings due to fast process without using water; chemicals, and time. It can bring down the BOD, COD,
and cost savings due to no chemicals needed and no TDS, and AOX values within the allowed limits and
effluent treatment required. Similarly, the ozonation double the productivity. Sustainable technologies, such
process kills bacteria by oxidation; controls the BOD, as laser and ozone, have helped Company A to gain a
COD, AOX (Adsorbable organic halides) and TDS competitive advantage in the global marketplace in
(Total dissolved solids) levels of the effluents; and im- addition to greener and cleaner chemistry for denim
proves efficiency in faded denim manufacturing. manufacturing. On the other hand, Company B is using
Therefore, the advanced technologies helping Company the traditional technologies, which might be the reason
A to become more sustainable by saving energy (70e for it reduced popularity in the global marketplace as the
90%), water (97%), and cost (60e70%), for which the company is not addressing the sustainability challenges.
company has received several certificates in environ- However, Company B has plan to adopt laser, ozone, and
mental management and corporate social responsibility Industry 4.0 to bacome sustinable.

www.sciencedirect.com Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry 2022, 38:100680

6 Sustainable chemistry for a circular fashion Industry

Managerial implications 7.
õran C, Körlü A, Yapar S: Wastewater treatment of a denim

Bag
washing plant by using waste pumice stones to recycle
Looking at the benefits achieved by Company A, the wastewater and reuse. In Sustainable Textile and Fashion Value
managers of new as well as traditional denim industries Chains. Springer; 2021:151–168.
in the global marketplace should focus to adopt sus- 8. Rashid MA, et al.: Introduction of potassium permanganate
tainable technologies, such as laser and ozone. These spray with laser treatment to achieve improved fading and
mechanical properties of denim fabric. J Textil Appar Technol
technologies can help the industries to gain competitive Manag 2020, 11:1–12.
advantage, reduce manufacturing cost, and become
9. de Oliveira Neto GC, et al.: Cleaner production in the textile
sustainable in their CF journey. The new sustainable industry and its relationship to sustainable development
technologies can also help to reduce the environmental goals. J Clean Prod 2019, 228:1514–1525.
impacts, such as GHG emissions, and resource deple- 10. Akter MMK, et al.: Textile-apparel manufacturing and material
tion caused by the traditional chemical processes. * waste management in the circular economy: a conceptual
model to achieve sustainable development goal (SDG) 12 for
Several traditional denim industries, especially in Bangladesh. Clean Environ Syst 2022:1–12.
developing countries, such as Bangladesh, Vietnam, This study identified and categorized various waste materials gener-
ated in garment manufacturing stages, estimated the economic loss,
Cambodia, and India, should focus on the new sustain- and found the unauthorized trading of waste materials. To achieve the
able technologies for a cleaner chemical processing. No sustainable development goal 12 (SDG 12), a conceptual waste
doubt, these technologies have great potential for denim management model was developed for fashion and textile
manufacturing industries, which provides potential application of the
industries to pave the road toward circularity and sus- circular economy.
tainability in future denim manufacturing. 11. LeviStrauss&Co: The life cycle: understanding the environmental
impact of a pair of Levi’s® 501® jeans. 2015:1–51.

Declaration of competing interest 12. Islam MM, Perry P, Gill S: Mapping environmentally sustain-
able practices in textiles, apparel and fashion industries: a
The authors declare that they have no known competing systematic literature review. J Fash Mark Manag: Int J 2020,
financial interests or personal relationships that could 25:331–353.
have appeared to influence the work reported in this 13. Chahboune M: Greening the blues-How jeans have stood the
paper. test of time by adapting innovative, forward-thinking and
sustainable production practices. In Sustainable Textile and
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