At a factory in Vietnam, workers load rolls of undyed polyester into a steel container connected to a storage tank that holds carbon dioxide. When pressure in the container is turned up, the carbon dioxide takes on the properties of both gas and liquid, and in turn develops a superpower: the ability to dissolve dye. The factory, which uses technology supplied by Dutch startup DyeCoo Textile Systems, is making clothes colored by carbon dioxide.
DyeCoo says its process for getting colorants onto fabric doesn’t use any water or bonding chemicals — water is still needed for rinsing, though — and can halve a factory’s typical water use and emissions from textile dyeing. (About 95% of the carbon dioxide can also be recycled between jobs.) Since 2010, the company has been working with garment makers in Taiwan, the Netherlands and southeast Asia, and its backers include Nike’s venture arm and Ikea.
DyeCoo is one of several startups exploring new ways to dye textiles. As consumers and investors put pressure on apparel companies to cut back on carbon, finding a greener way to add color could be a big opportunity.
