Tintoria Emiliana invests one million and wins the challenge of water recovery
Sustainability – In Modena
Every year, the fashion industry consumes 100 billion cubic meters of water—4% of all the planet’s available freshwater. But in Modena, Tintoria Emiliana has achieved a unique feat in Europe: building a system capable of almost entirely recovering the water used in industrial dyeing processes. Launched in September 2024, the plant required three years of work and an investment of around one million euros. “We started with the most critical processes, such as synthetic fibers, which require special attention in wastewater treatment, isolating the dyes,” explains Paolo Lodi, who has led the company since 2018. The company was founded in 1973 and taken over by the Lodi family in 2006.
Today, 72% of the water used—after undergoing new treatment and being sterilized according to current regulations, and subjected to special technologies—can be reused. And 100% of the water from the system can be reused in agriculture, explains Roberto Lodi, technical director and Paolo’s brother. The system, developed with Iride Acque, was designed for reuse even in unfavorable conditions.
But the real innovation now comes from the company’s R&D division, which has developed a machine capable of dyeing a single garment with just one liter of water. “Today, the average ratio is 1:15—that is, 15 liters to dye one garment. We’ve brought it down to 1:1,” says Paolo Lodi, R&D director. “We worked with textile machine manufacturers, combining different techniques, controlling pressure and temperature, and being very attentive to color. We blended sustainable chemistry with process sensors, which now allow perfect dyeing even in the summer.”
Founded 75 years ago by the Lodi family, Tintoria Emiliana is now a company with a 20% year-on-year growth rate. In three years, it has raised its R&D investment to 12% of net revenue, combining artisanal tradition with industrial automation. It’s an “upcycling” model before the term even existed, which has now become an industrial paradigm. While many companies in the postwar period followed a path of intensive dyeing and polluting, only to backtrack later, Tintoria Emiliana was already setting a different course.
With two urban plants and one in the countryside, and collaborations with international textile artists and fashion design universities, the company now expects to increase its profit margins by 5–6%, shifting toward more sustainable and traceable products by the end of 2023. Tintoria Emiliana is now a partner of several top luxury brands, both Italian and international: Tagliatore, Boglioli. “We mainly work in fast fashion,” says Lodi, “a system that demands speed but also the highest quality standards in the world. Today, this model is also gaining ground in Asian markets, which must now meet stricter environmental standards—whereas we’re already 10 years ahead of the industry average in terms of equipment, machinery, AI, and processes,” notes management consultant Mario Nocelli.
Every year, Tintoria Emiliana invests over half a million euros in research and development, following the entire product cycle—from system efficiency to treatment customization. In addition to the water recovery system and the 1:1 dyeing technology, the company also runs a 560-kilowatt photovoltaic plant for energy self-production. Its many environmental certifications—including ZDHC (elimination of hazardous substances), GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard), GRS (Global Recycle Standard), RDS (Responsible Down Standard), and RAF (Responsible Animal Fiber)—are now being joined by ongoing collaborations such as the Sustainable Business Project, which is conducting a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the processes. But above all, what sets the company apart are its “choices”: strong internationalization and a focus on niche Asian markets, bringing sustainable and ethical fashion back to center stage.
“It’s an irreversible direction,” concludes Lodi. “Even if creating production and innovation in Italy costs more, it’s now the only path to recover value, economy, and competitiveness.”
– L.Ve.
Article taken from: https://www.ilsole24ore.com/
