The Society of Dyers and Colourists is urging the textile coloration industry to harness developments in processes and create a new era of reduced environmental impact in 2022 and beyond.

The organisation has published a free downloadable white paper, Destination low carbon: Global technology and innovation reducing the environmental footprint of textile coloration, to summarise exemplary practice and to inspire the wider sector.

A total of six case studies from the the UK, Switzerland, Sweden and Germany explain methods developed and established over recent years as well as brand-new innovations including:

-The use of local agricultural waste to create clean dyes, and micro-organisms to synthesise colours of nature – negating the need for petrochemicals.

-Technologies to optimise automaton across processes and machinery

-Advances in significantly reducing the volumes of water, energy and dyestuffs required in processes.

The technologies showcased are among those progressing the dyeing industry beyond its resource-heavy and environmentally impactful heritage, using a combination of education and experience to underpin research and development.

The SDC is increasingly taking a global lead on the encouragement and promotion of environmental good practice – as well as providing the educational backgrounding that make it possible – in line with members’ interests and concerns in this area.

“We have the technological potential to create a new era for our sector and our white paper is fuel for vital, urgent conversation,” said SDC technical director Andrew Filarowski. “We know that many companies are already investing in better practice and ways to achieve circularity, and this is real progress, but much more needs to happen to bring this bourgeoning new era into the mainstream.”

The SDC is calling on its network and the wider dyeing and coloration industry to use the white paper to help devise and deliver carbon-lowering improvements across operations.

 “For dyehouses, print works and laboratories keen to plan production and run processes more effectively and report clearly on various metrics, this document provides a plethora of ideas and inspiration,” Filarowski said. “For companies with a lot of scope to improve, it is not too late to start. In 2022 and beyond, every positive action to lower carbon, water usage or effluent discharge – and indeed all three – counts towards the brighter, greener future of our sector.”

The white paper can be downloaded here

www.sdc.org.uk