Viridis Research Inc. today announced the successful completion of a major pilot program in Dhaka, Bangladesh with fashion leader H&M Group and three textile mill partners. The pilot program aimed to validate the efficacy of Viridis’ electrochemical oxidation technology in treating wastewater from various stages of the textile dyeing process to unlock water recycling and reuse. Key achievements from the pilot included:
- Successful treatment of wastewater from dye baths, equalization tanks, wastewater treatment plant and reverse osmosis reject;
- Effective reduction of color and organic contamination to target thresholds, including 99.56%-99.94% color removal from dye baths; and
- Confirmed ability to recover valuable chemicals and use treated water in subsequent dye cycles.
Viridis’ technology leverages the power of electrochemical oxidation to eliminate, by way of full mineralization into gas, organic contaminants like dyes, surfactants and auxiliary chemicals from textile effluent. On full deployment, this solution will collect wastewater from the textile dyeing process, remove contaminants, and feed treated water back into dyeing operations for reuse in a closed-loop system.
“We set out to prove that water reuse in textile manufacturing isn’t a far-fetched dream — it’s achievable right now under real operational conditions. This pilot program validated our approach and showcased the tangible benefits our solution can deliver for the industry,” says Dr. Macarena Cataldo, CEO and Founder of Viridis. “It was inspiring to witness the leadership our textile mill partners are showing in driving sustainable business practices and water conservation efforts. Working alongside H&M Group and these mill partners, we have demonstrated that a more responsible future for fashion is within reach.“
“Water stewardship is a strategic priority for H&M Group. Our pilot program with Viridis shows what credible innovation can achieve in real factory conditions, with the potential to lower absolute freshwater intake and minimize effluent pollution while supporting the performance requirements of our suppliers. Partnerships like this are central to how we drive impact at scale across our value chain,” says Sharif Hoque, Water Impact Lead for H&M Group.
Acknowledgements
Viridis gratefully acknowledges the support of its government funding partners, including the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP), InnovateBC, Mitacs, ECO Canada’s Student Work Placement Programand the Trade Commissioner Service of Canadaand its CanExportprogram, whose contributions have been instrumental in advancing the company’s research, development, and commercialization efforts. The company also recognizes the critical role of its ecosystem partners, including Simon Fraser University’s 4D LABS, MaRS Women in Cleantech Accelerator, University of British Columbia’s HATCH Venture Builderand VentureLAB’s Hardware Catalyst Initiative, in accelerating commercialization and go to market execution.
About H&M Group
H&M HENNES & MAURITZ AB (PUBL) was founded in Sweden in 1947 and is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. H&M’s business idea is to offer fashion and quality at the best price in a sustainable way. The group’s brands are H&M (including H&M HOME, H&M Move and H&M Beauty), COS, Weekday (including Cheap Monday and Monki), & Other Stories, ARKET, Singular Society and Sellpy. The group also includes several ventures.
