New Helizarin® pigment printing system now formaldehyde-free

* Formaldehyde-free Helizarin® pigment printing system helps customers meet the requirements of eco-labels


The latest generation of the established Helizarin® textile pigment printing system from BASF is now formaldehyde-free. As a result, textile producers can now meet all regulatory standards, as well as the requirements of leading retailers and brands related to formaldehyde without any additional measures. High quality textile printing is guaranteed with optimum running properties of the print paste on the printing machine and the highest quality standards are met.

Formaldehyde-releasing compounds are widely used as crosslinkers in the textile industry for applications such as resin finishing, pigment printing, pigment dyeing and coating. However, regulatory standards, as well as the requirements of leading retailers and brands are becoming increasingly strict. In pigment printing, not only the crosslinker, but also the binder and thickener are the main sources of formaldehyde. These components, as well as other auxiliaries, make up the medium that fixes the pigments on the textile.

For this reason, BASF has developed a new crosslinker (Helizarin® Fixing Agent TX 4737) with reactive centers that are free of formaldehyde. In addition, a formaldehyde-free binder (Helizarin® Binder TX 4738) has been developed that is ideally suited to the new crosslinker. “Developing a formaldehyde-free crosslinker and binder, as well as adapting the printing recipe to get the quality required, was very challenging,” explains Dr. Karl Siemensmeyer, who was responsible for the development of the products. Together with BASF’s existing formaldehyde-free thickeners, the new products form a formaldehyde-free Helizarin® pigment printing system. Extensive tests have shown that formaldehyde levels on the textile before and after the printing process are unchanged.

“Product safety and environmental protection are our top priority when developing new products,” states Siemensmeyer. The new formaldehyde-free Helizarin® pigment printing system further strengthens BASF’s eco-friendly product lineup.