COMPANY NAME Care Applications
COUNTRY Spain
SECTOR Textiles
CIRCULAR BUSINESS MODEL Recovery and Recycling
CHALLENGE
CARE Applications identified highly conductive wastewater as one of the main environmental and economic challenges in textile dyeing, particularly in VAT dyeing processes. Traditional processes require significant quantities of reducing chemicals, such as sodium hydrosulphite and caustic soda, generating wastewater that is difficult and costly to reuse. Treating this wastewater through reverse osmosis also requires substantial energy consumption. The challenge was therefore to reduce chemical use and wastewater conductivity while maintaining dyeing quality and improving the overall efficiency and circularity of existing textile machinery.
SOLUTION
H SAVES H2O integrates hydrogen into CARE Applications’ existing CLOSE-N technology to replace most traditional chemical reducing agents. The project developed a fully operational, scalable and automated prototype incorporating hydrogen injection, conductivity, pH and redox sensors, improved recirculation and automatic software control. Extensive laboratory and pilot testing validated the technology under different water qualities, temperatures and operating conditions. The hydrogen-assisted process achieved the same dyeing quality and reproducibility as conventional methods while significantly reducing chemicals, wastewater conductivity and energy consumption.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY STRATEGIES/BUSINESS MODEL IMPLEMENTED
The project combines several circular economy strategies, including resource efficiency, recovery and recycling and lifetime extension. Instead of replacing existing dyeing machinery, CARE retrofits and optimises equipment through its CLOSE-N technology, extending its useful life and improving performance. H SAVES H2O further reduces chemical and energy consumption and enables wastewater to be reused. The resulting CLOSE-N Combi H solution expands CARE’s portfolio and creates a new business opportunity based on providing manufacturers with scalable technologies that improve both environmental and economic performance.
IMPACT
H SAVES H2O generated significant environmental, operational and business benefits. The project achieved a 90.5% reduction in wastewater conductivity, approximately 85% reduction in chemical reducing agents and 91% reduction in energy consumption by eliminating reverse osmosis treatment. Wastewater can be reused directly in terms of conductivity, supporting circular water management and reducing environmental impact. The project also improved worker safety, strengthened CARE’s position in sustainable textile technologies and created commercial opportunities, with expected turnover growth of approximately 50% over five years.
KEY TAKEAWAY
H SAVES H2O demonstrates that circular innovation can deliver measurable environmental benefits while strengthening industrial competitiveness.
The project shows that circularity does not require replacing existing machinery, but can be achieved by optimising and extending its useful life. The next challenge is scaling the technology from pilot to industrial production and creating the right market conditions.