Dyeing from the Soul

Héctor Guerrero-Parada

A rapport for Textil Innovation

2021-2022
Course leader: Monik Nyrén
Dyeing with Science. Natural colours from the plant not
chemicals for textile industry.
Introduction

Dyeing is one of the most polluted process in textile industry. (CNN, 2020)
The amount of water, chemicals and other sources to get the colour done.
Fashion is responsible for one-fifth-of all the water pollution.
Many of the dyeing process are made in poor countries like Bangladesh were
safety measure and worker right are little or none at all. (CNN, 2020)
Many of the dyeing process are made by children, who get paid much less than
an adult.
Environmental problems are one of the biggest concerns when it came to a
dyeing process. Strong chemical with a large amount of water is use and not
always dispose and recycle correctly damaging rivers, ocean and water
reservoirs and aquatic and wildlife. (Revolution, 2021)
But it doesn’t have to be like that. There are ancient techniques of dyeing textile
in a natural and non-toxic way, we should re discover it all of these techniques
and explore new methods to tell the plants what colour to grow.

Aesthetics
With help of Bio-genetic engineering and research extracting the colour
chromosome of any plant and introduce to crops we normally use in the textile
industry we could have an endless hue of colours without the need of dyeing.
The plants would grow in a unique colour from black to intense red and yellow
from start to finish. A colour fast and no need of chemical will reduce the use of
water and cut completely from the process the dyeing.
The colour hue is vivid and with a wide range of hue from black to light green
or even an indigo like colour. (Bennegård, 2022)

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Functionality

There are endless possibilities for this type of dyeing. And with the cut of the
traditional dyeing process many of the natural textiles we know today, could be
dyeing by the growing process. Imaging a world were plants will provide the
colour of the fibre you desire from start to end, without dyeing. Natural fibre
like cotton, bamboo, ramie, hemp, flax (linen) and many other can grow with a
colour attach to their DNA.
There is also a possibility to develop protein natural and man-made with a
colour in mind from start to finish , using a similar techniques with DNA
manipulation.

Economics

There is a lot of benefit with a project like this, especially in an economical

perspective, but there are also some limitations.

Genetic Engineering projects means lot of investment and regulations.

(Goverment United Kingdom , 2021)

Ethical and Moral

There are some eminent consequences with a project that involve Genetic
manipulation. Ethical and question if this right for the society with living today
or there is any other consequence like changing the course of nature and
disturbing the environment as a whole. Pollinators and others living form would
be affect it with this kind of changes and how far we can go.
(Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs, 2021)

Cultural Affiliation

The end product will be an extremely good value for the textile industry since it
will cut down the necessity of Dye.
Dyeing is one of the most polluting stage in the textile industry after making the
fabric itself. (Waste to Fresh , 2021)
Dye is the second most polluting stage in textile after creating the fabric itself.
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Everyone will benefit from this way to dye twist, starting from the textile
industry, but also to the end product. If the plants will generate their own colour
from start (grown) to the end. the Dye stage is not necessary anymore. We all
win! that Cost value could be past to the end costumer and we can have an
enormous

Cognitive Value

The Value of the product is obvious for itself. Cutting the Dye process will safe
not just money, but also tremendous amount of resources using in a traditional
dye today, like water and cutting down 100% any chemical in the process. The
transition is not an easy task. I will demand a large investment from
governmental institution and the private sector.(Lampoon, 2022)

Continuous research and investment in Dyeing process, including recovering

and develop new ways to get a colour fast finish in the textile industry will help
to target the pollution coming from this process.
Consumer still believe “Fashion” causes very minimal damage to the
environment. But in reality, the fashion industry is responsible for at least
30%mof all water contamination in the world. Most of them coming from
Dyeing. (FashionNetwork.com, 2022)

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References

1. Bibliography
Bennegård, S., 2022. Fristads.com. [Online]
Available at: https://newsroom.fristads.com/posts/pressreleases/algae-could-be-the-solution-to-textile-dyeing
[Accessed 02 08 2022].
CNN, H. R., 2020. https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/dyeing-pollution-fashion-intl-hnk-dst-sept/index.html.
[Online]
Available at: https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/dyeing-pollution-fashion-intl-hnk-dst-sept/index.html
[Accessed 01 08 2022].
Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs, 2021. gov.UK. [Online]
Available at: https://consult.defra.gov.uk/agri-food-chain-directorate/the-regulation-of-genetic-technologies/
[Accessed 23 08 2022].
Goverment United Kingdom , 2021. Gov.uk. [Online]
Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/genetic-technologies-regulation/outcome/genetic-
technologies-regulation-government-response
[Accessed 20 08 2022].
Lampoon, 2022. https://www.lampoonmagazine.com/article/2022/01/19/zeefier-seaweed-dye-nienke-hoogvliet/.
[Online]
Available at: https://www.lampoonmagazine.com/article/2022/01/19/zeefier-seaweed-dye-nienke-hoogvliet/
[Accessed 21 08 2022].
Revolution, F., 2021. https://www.fashionrevolution.org/the-true-cost-of-colour-the-impact-of-textile-dyes-on-
water-systems/. [Online]
Available at: https://www.fashionrevolution.org/the-true-cost-of-colour-the-impact-of-textile-dyes-on-water-
systems/
[Accessed 20 08 2022].

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Images

A man walks through colored rainwater past a dyeing factory in Shyampur in June 2018. Its waste is dumped into
the Buriganga river in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Credit: Allison Joyce/Getty Images

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Photo: Business Insider / Stringer / Reuters

Credit : Waste2fresh.com 2021

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