National Clothesline

The long decline in perc use by U.S. drycleaners continued last year, according to statistics released last month by the Textile Care Allied Trades Association.

The annual TCATA survey showed cleaners using 52 million pounds of perc in 2001, seven million fewer pounds than the previous year. TCATA’s annual survey has recorded decreases in every year since 1985 when cleaners used 260 million pounds of perc — five times more perc than was used last year.

The annual declines have been particularly steep in the last ten years with the current figures showing a 72 percent reduction in that period. And last year’s drop of seven million pounds was actually more than the previous year’s decrease of four million pounds.

“The absolute decrease in the number of pounds used last year is greater than the previous year, but is not surprising,” said David Cotter, CEO of TCATA.

Cotter observed that the decline in 2001 is due in part to the impact of the aftermath of Sept. 11 and continuing effects of business casual dress codes on the drycleaning industry.

“The large decreases in perc consumption observed in the early to mid-nineties, when large portions of the industry converted to third generation equipment, are over,” Cotter said. “Drycleaners continue to improve their environmental performance through improved operated practices and investment in even more efficient fourth- and fifth-generation equipment and a few drycleaners are trying new technologies,” Cotter said.

While some of those new technologies eliminated the use of perc altogether, the new technology that has had the greatest impact on perc use is the more advanced perc drycleaning machinery.

According to figures provided by Dow Chemical’s Janet Hickman, an old first-generation perc machine used 82 pounds of perc to clean 1,000 pounds of clothes. Second-generation machines gut that to 34 pounds of perc and third-generation machines reduced it even further — to 18 pounds. The newest fourth- and fifth-generation machines can clean 1,000 pounds of clothes with no more than ten pounds of perc.

TCATA also cited diligence in improving work practices as another reason for the decline in perc use.

“Drycleaners have good reason to be proud of their efforts to improve their environmental performance,” Cotter said.

TCATA, which represents companies that make and distribute equipment and supplies for the textile industry, has sponsored the perc usage survey annually since 1975. Annual total perc usage reached as high as 360 million gallons in the late 1970s.

The survey was conducted by Industry Insights, Inc. The 2001 results represent reporting from the four primary producers and importers of perc for use in the drycleaning industry: Dow Chemical Company; ICI (now INEOS Chlor Americas); PPG Industries; and Vulcan Chemicals.