It is no secret that traditional dyeing methods devastate the environment and pose health risks to humans. It is a reality that begs the question, isn’t it time for the textile industry to seriously look at (and invest) in alternative dyeing methods?
CNN once wrote a shocking article on Asian rivers. The report investigated how our colourful closets are to blame for the rivers in Asia turning black. The story, produced as part of CNN Style’s The September Issues, looked at how textile dyeing, one of the most polluting aspects of the global fashion industry, is devastating the environment and posing health hazards to humans. The cause? Waste from nearby garment factories and dye houses that have polluted a river in Savar, just north of the Bangladesh capital. Turning its water black as ink.
Abdus Salam told CNN reporter Helen Regan, “There are no fish now. The water is so polluted that our children and grandchildren cannot have the same experience.” The good news is that there are a few solutions in the works. Led by innovators in the fashion tech space, they are challenging traditional methods by offering alternative dyeing methods that could turn the textile industry around.
Challenging How We Dye to Belong
Nikolett Madai and Julia Kaleta are accepting the challenge of cleaning up the industry. At the Sustainable Innovations stand at Munich Fabric Start’s KEYHOUSE, I first met Madai and Kaleta. They were introducing two projects that defied traditional textile dyeing methods by utilising natural materials to create vibrancy in fashion. Kaleta, a sustainable Fashion Researcher and colour collector, is the creator of The Atlas of Sustainable Colours, and Madai is a Dyer and practical researcher. Kaleta’s project is based on researching alternative colouring methods for the textile industry. At the same time, Madai focuses on research into measurements and properties and how to create her principle for dyeing textiles.
Hoping to facilitate a space where innovators can meet and share, Kaleta has combined her interest in nature and biology with the artistic research of sustainable fashion and natural textile dyeing methods. Believing that to succeed, sustainability needs Collaboration Kaleta shared: “Whilst creating this project, I had the idea of sustainability and collaboration.” She continued: “To succeed, sustainability needs Collaboration. I want to continue mapping the industry to facilitate connections between stakeholders. This will make it easier for us to make a positive change in how we colour our clothing.”
Not ready to produce clothes until she can find a way that does not hurt the environment, Kaleta is dedicated to developing non-toxic dyes. She is making steps towards decreasing water pollution and unhealthy working conditions. Hoping to offer a solution to a big issue in the textile industry, the Atlas of Sustainable Colours is a compendium of shades and tones made with plants and bacteria.
She explains: “Bio and naturally dyed textiles present the range of non-synthetic colours. The project results from comprehensive research into alternative colouring for the textile industry. It’s a call for rediscovering aesthetics in fashion by exploring possibilities of sustainable colour sourcing. It is an attempt to catalogue artisanal natural dyes together with innovative ways of colouring with naturally pigmented bacteria and look for a spectrum of colours offered by algae pigments and textiles made out of clothing waste”.
Could By-products of the Food Industry Be The Answer?
Madai is mastering how to utilise the biological cycle of products derived from natural resources. Determined to find a way to turn biological nutrients at the end of their life cycle into dyes, Madai shared with FashNerd.com: “There are so many possibilities for Collaboration with food By-product dyes, like paper or wood. For example, I am collaborating with another student creating bioplastics with algae.”
The concept “Grave-to-Cradle” draws a parallel between the circularity gaps in the food and the fashion industry. It suggests the incorporation of by-products of the food industry into circular strategies for garment production by developing the “Sustainable By-product Dyeing Principle”. The five pillars of this principle establish a sustainability standard for including various food by-products in textile dyes for the fashion industry.
With a lot of work still needing to be done, Madai has found a way to partner with juice companies and locally source their waste. “Collaboration is to bring everything full circle. I want to connect with suppliers and ensure that my by-product goes elsewhere. So the Grave-to-cradle project was initiated to circulate all the available resources,” said Madai.
The dye innovator’s end goal is to become a by-products supplier. Hoping to close the gap between food and fashion, Madai believes that the way forward is to implement food by-products into all types of innovations. If you think otherwise, I have two words for you, Orange Fiber.