In Full Color: How Sustainable is Dyeing?
A Dyeing Industry
The industrial dyeing process is one that is both energy and water intensive. Not to mention, chemically intensive and potentially harmful to factory workers who can ingest them. Synthetic dyes are used in colors both cotton and polyester fibers. Harmful salts or often added to dye solutions to ensure colorfastness. The waste water from this process is then discarded, at times contributing to waterway pollution. In part due to how detrimental dyeing is, this sector has
some of the most promise to become sustainable, due to the of developing new methods of dyeing and adopting older materials.
Keeping it Natural
The first overhaul of the dyeing process can take place in the materials used to dye fiber and textiles. Instead of opting for synthetics, some companies are looking to natural sources for vibrant color. One such company Colorifix, is using microorganisms to produce the color that is then used in the dyeing process. The company claims to grow these organisms using “…simple sugars, yeast, and plant-byproducts.” This method seeks to eliminate the synthetic colors and chemicals from the dye process and claims to significantly reduce water and electricity consumption considerably. A second method to combat synthetic materials in the dyeing process is to return to the natural sources for those colors. Stony Creek Colors, a plant-based dye company, is seeking to grow indigo plants for consumption in the textile industry. By returning to natural colors, they hope to reduce the denim industries reliance on synthetic colorants and chemicals.
Future Considerations
Taking into consideration the growth in sustainable consumption and a desire for eco-conscious fashion, it is only a matter of time before consumers come to realize that color is a large factor in production. This realization will lead to a call for companies to not only use sustainable fibers, but sustainable colors as well.