New Textile Technology From SONOVIA (Photo Essay)

By BJLIfe/Sharon Altshul
Posted on 06/05/23

Jerusalem, Israel - June 5, 2023  - In the maze of streets in Ramat Gan, Israel, one finds old buildings located beneath the towering new structures going up higher and higher. One modest building at the end of a small one-way street is home to SONOVIA. On a previous visit, I learned about their anti-viral, anti-bacterial masks, which became so popular during the Covid-19 pandemic, during which SONOVIA gained significant attention and recognition in early 2020. The company's patented ultrasonic fabric-finishing technology, which embeds nanoparticles into textiles, was found to be highly effective in reducing the spread of viruses and bacteria, including the coronavirus  

An invitation to the launch of their newest, revolutionary fabric dyeing process was hard to resist. No photos were allowed of the machines or process, not even of the beautiful indigo denim swatches on the laboratory table. One similarity to the previous visit was the washing machine going strong in the lab testing fabrics.

SONOVIA's textile technology utilizes ultrasonic energy to apply durable and sustainable color coatings to denim. The innovative process enhances fabric performance, making it resistant to bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other harmful microorganisms. With its advanced manufacturing capabilities, SONOVIA can offer a range of applications, including denim, cotton, home textiles, and even personal protective equipment.

Liat Goldhammer has 20 years of experience in the Textile and Fashion industry, both in the U.S. and in Israel in various managerial positions. She joined SONOVIA Textile SONO Finishing technology, which was originally developed and patented by Bar Ilan University, as Chief Technology Officer. 

She explained to the standing-room-only audience of media and potential investors a number of important aspects of SONOVIA's chemicals and process. 

The textile industry and its dyeing process is known to be a major cause of water pollution, and existing solutions have proven insufficient.  In a 2022 report published in Frontiers in Environmental Science, the textile industy was found to be one of the most polluting industries. Its detrimental ecological footprint is caused by high energy, water, and chemical use, and the generation of textile waste and microfibre shedding into the environment during laundering. SONOVIA technology's SONOFix machine generates ultrasound waves in a process to treat the threads to be spun into yarn and made into fabric. Using less water and energy, its clean chemistry process is also cost-effective. 

The current process to dye a pair of jeans uses over 2,600 gallons of water. The new process uses more than 75% less water.

An Israeli environmental expert told BJL, "Given the fact that fresh drinking water will become more and more of an issue in the future as climate change becomes more acute, finding ways to reduce the consumption in industry is key to shifting the water consumption to drinking. And instead of spending billions of US dollars on desalination, which will be a necessity anyway, reducing at the source is a must. Among the future problems are droughts and flooding which contaminate the sources of fresh drinking water."

Of course, she adds that finding ways to reduce the environmental impacts of the textile industry does not eliminate the need to reduce consumption of "fast fashion" which is a real catastrophe in an industry out of control, with lengthy supply chains and energy-intensive production methods of the apparel and footwear industries.

SONOVIA has announced its participation in the prestigious International Textile Machinery Exhibition (ITMA) to be held from June 8-14 in Milan, Italy, with a focus on exploring partnerships, attracting investments, and showcasing its cutting-edge textile innovations

 "ITMA Milan provides an excellent platform for us to connect with industry leaders and attract investments that will drive innovation and growth," said Igal Zeitun, CEO of SONOVIA. "We are excited to share our groundbreaking textile solutions and explore collaborations that can accelerate the adoption of our technology on a global scale."

Ink and dye specialist, Aaron Garzon worked in the Jerusalem area before joining SONOVIA three and a half years ago and today is Vice President for Research and Development, directing all the chemical research. The chemistry involved is said to be approved for use in the US, EU, and China,

Before the presentation and tour of the new labs and the impressive process, entrepreneur Shuki Hershcovich, the founder of Sonovia LTD and the Shay Sapir Investment Group, which specializes in the commercialization of biomedical technology, opened the meeting in the SONOVIA offices.

Supplier to some of the world’s most renowned luxury brands, Gigi Caccia, Owner, and CEO, PureDenim stated the new technology will be the Telsa of dyeing tech.