Shahi Exports, one of India’s largest apparel manufacturers and exporters, has partnered with US-based Innovo Fiber LLC to scale the Fibre52® cotton pretreatment technology across its integrated textile operations. This initiative at Shahi’s knits processing facility marks the largest industrial-scale deployment of the technology globally and a significant step forward in lower-impact cotton processing at scale.
Together, the partnership brings Fibre52®’s patented biochemistry platform with Shahi’s manufacturing scale to advance more resource-efficient cotton processing within large-scale textile production.
Cotton pretreatment is one of the most resource-intensive stages in textile manufacturing. Fibre52® introduces a drop-in, low-temperature pretreatment system that uses ZDHC MRSL v3.1 and OEKO-TEX®-approved chemistries. The process can preserve the natural wax and softness of cotton fiber while eliminating the use of caustic soda and reducing resource intensity compared to conventional pretreatment.
Since early 2024, Fibre52®’s trials at Shahi progressed through a structured validation process of 5MT, 20MT, and, more recently, 100MT fabric trials. The results demonstrated reductions of approximately 25% in water consumption and 49% in steam consumption compared to conventional pretreatment systems.
As part of the scale-up roadmap, Shahi plans to transition approximately 25% of its knit processing capacity to the Fibre52® pretreatment system, representing close to 3,000 tons per annum. This marks the shift from controlled trials to industrial adoption within a large, vertically integrated manufacturing environment.
Shahi and Fibre52® are advancing this collaboration as a long-term innovation platform. The focus is on expanding applications, deepening integration across product categories, and reinforcing scalable pathways for lower-impact textile manufacturing.
Laura Thornquist, President of Innovo Fiber, Fibre52®’s parent company, said: “What makes this partnership unique is not just the technology, but the alignment of vision. Shahi and Fibre52® came together with a shared commitment to rethinking cotton processing at scale. When innovation capability and manufacturing discipline work in sync, real transformation becomes possible.”
Anant Ahuja, Director of ESG & Sustainability, Shahi Exports, said: “This collaboration reflects the value of close partnership. The Fibre52® team brought a different approach, and Shahi focused on how it could work within our production environment. Together, this has progressed from early validation to measurable production outcomes. It is encouraging to see how sustainability and performance can come together at an industrial scale.”
