Denim Washing’s Chemical Blind Spot: Only 28% of Processes Rated Efficient as Sustainability Reports Pile Up
11.06.2026 - 07:57:19 | boerse-global.de
A sweeping analysis of the denim-washing industry, published June 5, casts a harsh light on one corner of global manufacturing. Researchers evaluated more than 100,000 production processes and found that while 85 percent earned a low-impact rating for energy efficiency, just 28 percent of the chemical procedures met the same benchmark. Pumice stone and potassium permanganate are still being used at significant scale, dragging down an otherwise improving sector.
That uncomfortable statistic arrived as a wave of corporate sustainability reports — released in early June — celebrated genuine emissions cuts and material innovations. The disconnect between headline progress and persistent chemical waste underscores the complexity of greening industrial supply chains.
Producer Responsibility Debate Heats Up
The political push for tighter rules on textile waste is gaining momentum. On June 9, the German Federation of Secondary Raw Materials and Waste Management (bvse) sent a letter to the federal government warning against a centralized model for the planned extended producer responsibility scheme for textiles. Instead, the association is calling for a cooperative competition framework covering collection, sorting and recycling. It pointed to the Stiftung EAR foundation as a possible template for how such a system could operate.
Emissions Down, Renewables Up at Multiple Companies
Plexus Corp., an electronics manufacturing services provider, published its latest sustainability report on June 9. The company cut its absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 15 percent and boosted its own renewable-energy generation by 94 percent compared with the previous year. Its long-term target is a 54.6 percent reduction in those same emissions by 2033, relative to the 2023 baseline. An interim goal calls for a 25 percent cut by the end of this year.
Two days later, on June 10, BIRCO GmbH — a unit of the MÜLLER-STEINAG Group — reported that emissions from its core concrete business had fallen 23 percent versus 2022. At the same time, the output from its photovoltaic installations climbed by 1.62 gigawatt-hours in 2025.
The Toro Company, also publishing on June 10, set fresh climate targets. It aims to lower Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 15 percent by 2030, using fiscal year 2025 as the baseline.
Material Innovations Cut Embedded Carbon
Siemens Smart Infrastructure and BASF are collaborating on a new approach to the SIRIUS 3RV2 circuit breaker. By using biomass-balanced plastics — marketed as Ultramid BMBcert and Ultradur BMBcert — the partners expect to save roughly 270 tonnes of CO? equivalents annually.
In the rubber industry, ARLANXEO and Covestro have reworked the production of chloroprene rubber. Since the start of the year, all of ARLANXEO’s output of that material (sold under the Baypren brand) has relied on ISCC-PLUS-certified chlorine manufactured with renewable energy. The global-warming potential of Baypren has dropped about 20 percent compared with the previous year.
The mid-market is also pushing boundaries. Dr.-Ing. Max Schlötter GmbH & Co. KG, a specialist in electroplating, received an award early this year for its progress. One-quarter of the company’s staff works in research and development. It has focused on PFAS-free coatings and closed-loop processes.
Battery Minerals and Waste Strategies Advance
Eurobattery Minerals reported on June 9 that its Hautalampi project in Finland had received planning approval, while its Spanish mining license was renewed for 30 years. The company has also applied for strategic EU project status under the Critical Raw Materials Act to help secure European supplies for the energy transition.
On the waste front, Plexus announced that eight of its sites have already achieved “zero-waste-to-landfill” status, and its overall waste intensity has fallen 31 percent. The Toro Company said it diverted more than 18,000 tonnes of waste from landfills in 2025 and is targeting a 90 percent waste-prevention rate by 2030.
