Arvind launches India’s first supercritical CO₂ dyeing unit

Indian textile company Arvind Ltd has launched the country’s first commercial supercritical carbon dioxide (CO₂) dyeing unit after 18 months of trials with H&M Group and Mumbai start-up Deven Supercriticals.

The installation, located at Arvind’s Ahmedabad facility, uses the patented SUPRAUNO process that replaces water with supercritical CO₂ in the dyeing stage. The partners say the technology cuts water use by 76%, energy consumption by 67% and chemical inputs by 90%.

Arvind Vice Chairman Punit Lalbhai said the project marked “a defining moment for the Indian textile industry” and showed that scale and sustainability could align.

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The collaboration comes as global fashion brands face pressure to reduce emissions and water use in their supply chains. Wet processing, including dyeing and finishing, accounts for a large share of the industry’s environmental footprint.

H&M’s India production head Omang Narang said technologies like supercritical CO₂ make electrification of dyeing more feasible, while Deven Supercriticals founder Swapneshu Baser called the launch a step towards “safeguarding water, energy and health for future generations.”

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The initiative has backing from India’s Ministry of Textiles. Analysts say the challenge will be scaling the process while keeping costs competitive in a price-sensitive market.