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GLOBAL INVESTOR 1.16 — 61<br />
SUSTAINABILITY<br />
DYEING<br />
WITHOUT<br />
WATER<br />
Textile dyeing is a<br />
water-intensive process.<br />
For example, it<br />
typically takes 60 to<br />
80 liters of water<br />
to dye one kilogram<br />
of cotton. Moreover,<br />
according to the EU’s<br />
Retail Forum for<br />
Sustainability, together<br />
textile dyeing and<br />
treatment account<br />
for 20% of industrial<br />
freshwater pollution.<br />
No wonder, then, that<br />
the search is on for<br />
water-friendly alternatives.<br />
A company<br />
called ColorZen has<br />
found a way to modify<br />
the molecular structure<br />
of cotton to<br />
enable efficient coloring<br />
with less water.<br />
AirDye, developed<br />
by the Debs Textile<br />
Corporation, uses up<br />
to 95% less water<br />
than conventional<br />
dye methods by<br />
transferring dye to<br />
polyester fabric using<br />
printing machines.<br />
And Dutch company<br />
DyeCoo employs<br />
pressurized CO 2 to<br />
transport powder<br />
dye into polyester<br />
fabric, with no need<br />
for water at all.<br />
✖<br />
FOR MORE ON<br />
SUSTAINABILITY, GO<br />
TO PAGES 38 AND 41<br />
Watch a video on<br />
an innovative textile<br />
process for dyeing<br />
fabrics without water.
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