Company Interview / The Aussie firm taking on pollution in the textile industry

Key Points:

Plasma-based, waterless dyeing and finishing technology for textiles First commercial-scale machine shipped to Indonesia, with 12 systems committed Target markets across Southeast Asia, China and the US supplying global brands Backed by a $5 million Industry Growth Program grant and planning further capital raising

Australian clean-tech company Xefco ships what chief executive Tom Hussey says is the first commercial-scale, waterless, plasma-based textile dyeing machine to Indonesia, targeting one of the most resource-intensive stages of global textile production. Hussey frames dyeing and finishing as a major environmental and operational challenge, claiming it accounts for about 36% of textile supply-chain emissions and around 20% of industrial water pollution. Xefco’s plasma technology is presented as eliminating water use and wastewater discharge, while cutting energy use by about 90% compared with legacy wet processes.

Hussey explains that traditional dyeing typically involves 6–8 hour wet processes using heated water, chemicals and steam generated from coal or gas, which he sees as the main source of emissions. By contrast, Xefco’s continuous, infrastructure-light machinery is positioned as a way to ease bottlenecks in fabric dyeing and finishing while supporting brands under increasing sustainability pressure. The company’s systems are aimed at large global textile manufacturers that supply major sportswear, outdoor and fashion labels.

According to Hussey, Xefco has 12 systems already committed, with a rapidly growing pipeline across Southeast Asia, China and the US. A recent $5 million grant from the Australian government’s Industry Growth Program is viewed by Hussey as validation, but he stresses the need for additional capital, talent and facilities to scale toward a potential market he estimates at around 300,000 machines.