Vithanage Erandi Kawshalya Madhushani Jade Times Staff
V.E.K. Madhushani is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Fashion.
The Hidden Costs of Color: Water and Pollution in Fabric Dyeing
In the quiet, industrial landscapes of rural Taiwan, a pioneering project by UK based Alchemie Technology is promising to revolutionize the global apparel industry by reducing its considerable environmental footprint. Targeting one of fashion’s most environmentally damaging processes fabric dyeing Alchemie has developed the world’s first digital dyeing system.
The Dirty Truth About Fabric Dyeing
Traditional fabric dyeing is a resource intensive process that uses enormous amounts of water and energy. Alchemie founder, Dr. Alan Hudd, explains, “Traditional dyeing involves submerging fabric in water heated to 135 degrees Celsius for hours, creating toxic wastewater at a staggering rate. Dyeing a single ton of polyester can generate up to 30 tons of polluted water.” This outdated process, dating back 175 years to the early industrial cotton mills in England, has become standard practice worldwide, consuming over five trillion liters of water annually.
The consequences of traditional dyeing are substantial: the industry contributes to 20% of global industrial water pollution and creates a large carbon footprint, accounting for roughly 10% of global emissions each year. The demand on water resources, especially in water-scarce countries, only exacerbates the issue.
Alchemie’s Solution: A New Way to Dye
Alchemie’s innovative dyeing machine, named Endeavour, is designed to cut down water and energy use drastically. By applying dye to fabric with a precise digital process similar to inkjet printing, Endeavour conserves up to 95% of water and 85% of energy compared to traditional dyeing methods. The machine fires dye droplets onto fabric with pinpoint accuracy, resulting in a faster, cleaner, and more sustainable dyeing process.
“What we’re doing is using very small, controlled droplets, which we can switch on and off like a light switch,” Dr. Hudd explains. By controlling the dye precisely, the process becomes much more efficient and significantly less wasteful.
Testing in Real-World Conditions
After initial development in Cambridge, Alchemie moved production to Taiwan to test Endeavour in a real-world setting. Ryan Chen, Alchemie’s operations chief and a textile manufacturing expert, highlights that bringing the machine to a functional factory environment is essential to understand how it performs outside the lab. However, some challenges emerged. “We found that in hotter, more humid climates like Taiwan, the machine requires air conditioning to operate effectively,” explains Alchemie service manager Matthew Avis. This insight is vital, as many garment manufacturing hubs are located in the warmer regions of southern Asia.
Other Innovators in Sustainable Dyeing
Alchemie is not alone in its quest for a greener dyeing process. China-based NTX has created a nearly waterless dyeing technique that reduces water use by 90% and dye use by 40%, while Sweden’s Imogo has developed a digital spray application that yields similar environmental benefits. Although these companies did not comment directly, the innovations represent a growing movement in sustainable textile production.
Professor Kirsi Niinimäki of Aalto University in Finland, an expert in sustainable textile research, is cautiously optimistic. “These innovations could bring real industry change, especially if they reduce water, energy, and chemical use,” she notes. While the long-term impact of these new technologies is still being studied, Niinimäki suggests that they represent a promising step towards a more sustainable industry.
The Road Ahead: Scaling Sustainable Dyeing
Alchemie has set ambitious targets for 2025. After initial testing with polyester, the company aims to expand to South Asia and Portugal, and will explore using Endeavour with cotton. The real test, however, will be scaling up production to meet the demands of large fashion brands like Zara, which collaborates with thousands of factories globally. Meeting such high demand requires hundreds of Endeavour units operating simultaneously.
The need for sustainable change in the fashion industry is clear, and the advancements by companies like Alchemie offer hope for reducing the environmental impact of fabric dyeing. By overcoming operational challenges and proving its effectiveness on a large scale, Alchemie and other innovators could be key players in reshaping one of the world’s most resource-heavy industries for a more sustainable future.
