#Textile chemistry

2019-10-24

Garmon introduces smart foam, the technology that makes water saving easy as blowing bubbles

Result of a collaboration between three leading companies across the garment finishing market, smart foam simplifies the sustainable practices, helping suppliers of any segment achieve their sustainability goals.

Garmon, the brand for chemical solutions for the denim and fashion industry owned by Kemin Industries, launches smart foam at The Kingpins Show in Amsterdam.

Through an innovative patented technology, smart foam has the goal of revolutionizing garment finishing. The system is designed to minimize natural resource consumption, making sustainable garment production easy and accessible.

Innovative

smart foam is a patented technology, a result of a collaboration of Garmon, Itaclab and Mactec, three leading companies across the garment finishing industry.

With smart foam the chemical carrier is not water, but a special foam created with a combination of new technologies:

Garmon’s tested and selected range of chemicals

easyfoam and easyfoam pro, Garmon’s special foaming agents

foam generating equipment recommended by Garmon

The smart foam system can be used to create everything from traditional finishes to unique fashion concepts and styles.

Sustainable

The main benefit of smart foam is the great reduction of water and energy consumption.

Compared to traditional washing processes, the application of chemicals through smart foam allows savings of up to 80% of water. All the treatments are performed at room temperature, therefore reducing the energy required.

Moreover, when combined with Garmon certified chemicals, smart foam can be used to perform treatments fully compliant with greenofchange®requirements.

Overall, smart foam helps suppliers of any segment achieve their sustainability goals, to better serve the fast-moving fashion industry.

Easy

smart foam has been designed to be the easiest and most affordable system to save water in garment finishing, making the technological investment accessible to any industrial laundry.

Compared to nebulization systems, smart foam is up to 3 times faster to load chemicals in the washing machine, and it doesn’t require a sealed equipment, allowing technicians to interrupt finishing treatments and check garments with safety and ease. For this reason, any type of washing machine - from the traditional to the advanced - can be utilized with the smart foam equipment and process.

An eco-friendly alternative to fluorocarbon treatments

Protective and outdoor clothing derives its durable water-, dirt- and oil- repellent properties from the application of fluorinated polymers or per- and polyfluorinated low-molecular- weight chemicals (PFCs). The beneficial properties thus achieved on textiles are offset by environmental and human health risks. For manufacturers of sports, medical, protective and automotive textiles, researchers at the Sächsisches Textilforschungsinstitut e.V. and the Leibniz Institute for Polymer Research have developed liquid-applied dispersions and solutions to functionalise textiles without the use of fluorine.

Archroma and Lameirinho partner in pioneering deployment of InOneGO single-step dyeing

Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals, and Lameirinho, a leading home textiles manufacturer based in Portugal, are collaborating to bring InOneGO by Archroma, a new single-step dyeing process, into commercial production. Lameirinho’s first InOneGo bedlinens collection is now available worldwide.

Archroma wins ICIS Innovation Award for sulfur dye breakthrough

Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals, has won a coveted 2026 ICIS Innovation Award for Best Product Innovation from a Large Company for FiberColors®. These high-performance sulfur dyes are synthesized from pre-consumer wool waste, reducing industry reliance on petroleum-based inputs while contributing to the circular economy by upcycling unwanted wool that farmers would otherwise pay to dispose of.

ZymoChem secures $4 million in renewed federal funding to advance U.S. biomanufacturing of critical materials and their supply chains

ZymoChem, the specialty chemicals company dedicated to bringing decarbonization, sustainability, and supply chain resiliency to the chemical industry through innovative biological manufacturing, today announced the resumption and expansion of its federal research portfolio. The company has been notified that previously paused work under a $5 million U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) program is officially back on, to be joined by continuing collaborations with three of the nation's premier national laboratories.

YKK subsidiary Golden Hill Tower Limited marks 25 years of operations in Myanmar

Golden Hill Tower Limited, a subsidiary of YKK Corporation, celebrated its 25th anniversary with a ceremony in Myanmar on September 21, 2026. The event brought together approximately 230 guests, including senior executives from the YKK Group, to commemorate the company's development since the launch of its serviced apartment business in November 2000.

SHIMA SEIKI to showcase digital product creation at Apparel Sourcing Week

Leading digital textile solutions provider SHIMA SEIKI MFG., LTD. of Wakayama, Japan will exhibit at Apparel Sourcing Week 2026 in Bengaluru, India next month. The exhibition provides a platform for the entire apparel value chain, bringing together manufacturers, brands, suppliers and solution providers in one location.

SNA GZ accelerates its on-demand production strategy with Kornit Digital

SNA GZ is leveraging the Kornit Atlas MAX PLUS to expand its music merchandise production, streamline e-commerce order fulfillment, and grow its print-on-demand business across Europe. This investment increases SNA GZ's textile production capacity by 150% (2.5×), enabling the company to meet growing demand and support its continued expansion.

NEUMÜHLE launches mono-material hoodie designed for textile recycling

With the Circular Mono Hoodie, Zurich-based label NEUMÜHLE introduces a new essential designed around a single-material principle. The textile construction is cotton throughout, right down to the sewing thread. Entirely free from elastane, the hoodie launches as a Limited Drop for CHF 139. Take-back, collection and existing recycling partnerships complement its circular design.