Sustainable Fabric Dyeing & Textile Innovations 2025

Imagine if you no longer had to worry that the clothes you’re wearing were created by harming animals or humans. And if you didn’t have to worry about your clothing harming your skin. That is the case when you wear sustainable garments, items made from fabric manufactured without lots of energy or water. Textiles that are dyed and processed without using harmful chemicals. Imagine the relief of knowing that the environment isn’t suffering because of how your new shirt is made. Humans won’t suffer because of how the material was manufactured or dyed. That’s sustainable fashion, the focus for 2025 and onwards.

Sadly, a perfect world with only sustainable clothing and no fast fashion is still a pipe dream. Much of our clothing is mass-produced using materials that aren’t meant to last and end up in landfills – unless the garments are vintage or recycled. We’re trying to stay on track and be more sustainable in our choices and how we manufacture clothing. But there’s still a long journey ahead.

Previously, maake produced several informative guides on sustainable textiles. Here, we concentrate on the latest and most sustainable methods of dyeing fabric and how the textile and clothing industries are working towards creating sustainable fashion in 2025 and beyond.

Transforming Fashion into a Sustainable Industry

Hopefully, smaller brands will follow the lead of global designers and transform into an industry that cares for its environment and considers future generations. It’s become fashionable to be sustainable in manufacturing and dyeing fabrics and garments. The world understands the importance of sustaining our planet and keeping it maintained for a greener future. And in the process, fashion is changing its focus. Innovation not only involves creativity when designing clothing, but includes clever ideas for a more sustainable future, too.

Of course, more successful brands have the financial means to make the difference, and many a design brand is doing this with gusto. Now, natural dyes that don’t contain harmful chemicals and fabric made from biodegradable fibres are de rigeuer. Sustainable isn’t a buzzword, it’s a necessity so that garments stop polluting our landfills, rivers and oceans. The less water and chemicals used to manufacture the clothing, the cleaner we can keep our rivers, eco systems and communities.

Why Change How We Dye a Textile? Research Explains

According to various research studies, there are 3 main reasons:

1.     Currently, manufacturing and dyeing textiles account for 20% of global wastewater pollution, according to the European Parliament. This is because brands are releasing harmful chemicals into rivers and oceans.

2.     About 72 harmful chemicals are used in the traditional material dyeing system – and 30% are non-biodegradable. So, the aim is to use 100% biodegradable natural dyes without chemicals during in the dyeing process.

3.     Using less water in the textile dyeing process will help to reduce water consumption by up to 90% according to an article published on the BBC site in November last year, which talks about a UK-based start-up that is working towards slashing the carbon footprint of the global clothing industry through more sustainable dyeing methods. The business has created, what its founder, Dr Alan Hudd, calls “the world’s first digital dyeing process”.

In an article in Forbes Magazine, he talks about traditional textile dyeing as “steeping the material in water at 135°C for up to four hours”. “To dye one ton of polyester, you’re generating 30 tons of toxic wastewater,” he explains. In contrast, this UK company’s technology saves water. It “uses the same principle as inkjet printing,” the article explains, “to rapidly and precisely fire dye onto and through the fabric”. This reduces water consumption “by 95%”, energy consumption “up to 85%” and works “three to five times faster than traditional processes”.

Natural Fabric Dyes

Many businesses are doing research and dyeing fabric more sustainably by using natural dye rather than a synthetic one to have a low impact on the environment. These natural dyes are created from plants, minerals and sometimes insects.

Examples of these dyes include:

1.     Indigo, the natural blue dye from the indigo plant used to dye denim fabrics.

2.     Turmeric, a golden spice used in India and China for traditional medicine and food flavour and colouring. This textile dye gives textiles a gorgeous golden-yellow colour.

3.     Walnut husks contain medicinal properties and are also used to dye fabrics in a range of earthy colours, particularly browns and tans.

4.     Madder Root is an evergreen plant; its roots are used to dye textiles different shades of red and pink.

5.     Pomegranate Peels have numerous medicinal properties, including fighting cancer. They are also used in India and South East Asia for dyed textiles in soft yellow and green hues.

Why Natural Dyes are Greener

Natural dyes are greener because:

·      They have less environmental impact, are biodegradable and use less water in the dyeing process.

·      Natural dyes aren’t toxic, so they are safer for those who work with them and those wearing the clothing.

·      By dyeing a textile this way, manufacturers use tried and tested methods used for centuries, bringing back age-old traditions that have stood the test of time.

Why Synthetic Fabric Dye is Harmful

Although various global companies use more sustainable and safe techniques for dyeing, synthetic dye is still used to make most of the world’s clothing. Even natural dye requires chemicals; these are found in the pesticides used to grow the plants used to make the dyes.

Fashion & Fabrics Embrace Green Dye

Luxury brands have the financial backing to try more sustainable methods of dyeing and manufacturing garments. And they do this with gusto, innovating gorgeous collections that combine sustainability and creativity. It’s their way of making the world greener and more environmentally friendly.

They use natural pigments for dying fabrics; they pre-treat the textiles before dyeing them and apply dyes using pressurised carbon dioxide. Their goal is to make garments that withstand the test of time and don’t impact the wearer or the planet. By finding efficient, cost-effective dyeing methods that reduce water and energy consumption, they are transforming clothing while still colouring the world beautiful.

What Eco-Friendly Fabric Dyeing Entails

When you talk about dyed material, dyeing depends on what type of fabric you use. To create dyed cotton requires more energy and water than dyeing other textile types, including dyeing an organic textile. This is because cotton fibers don’t react easily with the dyes and only use around 75%. So the textile has to be washed several times in hot water to ensure colour fastness, which creates plenty of waste – apparently, about 200 litres per 1kg of material.

According to the National Resource Defence Council, polyester, on the other hand, is easier to dye. Around 99% of the dyes take a short time, so the process is fast and uses less energy, water and chemicals. Wool is also easy to dye, with at least 95% success in a short time that requires warm, not hot water. Viscose and rayon also use warm water in the dyeing process, which is shorter than cotton but still relatively long, and about 85-90% of the textile dye takes easily.

5 Reasons Why Green Textile Dyes Are The Way Forward

More than 70 toxic chemicals are associated with textile dye identified by The World Bank Group. This gives us an idea of the severity of the global textile dye problem.

So what can the fabric industry do? We need to choose more sustainable methods. Here’s why:

1.     We can contribute to conserving our planet by using biodegradable (plant-based dyes).

2.     The clothing industry isn’t losing any colours; natural dyes are available in a kaleidoscope of colourful hues.

3.     Most natural dyes are safer than synthetic ones, to the environment and to those who wear dyed fabric.

4.     Many of these natural dyes have other properties too, including medicinal ones. Some are antimicrobial, repel insects, deodorise and have UV protection. There are manifold reasons for using these dyes created with the latest technology.

5.     As we mentioned above, most natural dyes require less energy in the process, which means the garments made using these methods are more sustainable.

How Global Brands are Doing About Eco-Friendly Processes

According to the BBC article above, the UK business isn’t the only technology such as eco-friendly waterless dyeing. In China, textile brand NTX has developed a system for dyes that doesn’t require heat, uses 90% less water and 40% less textile dye. According to this brand “the amount of textile dye used is precise and the wash-off is minimal”. This eliminates waste water and water treatment required in the dyeing process.

Watch This Space!

We will constantly update you on new sustainable dyeing technology in the UK and global marketplaces. In the meantime, you can learn about our sustainable products and services…

Find out about how maake dyes fabric sustainably and our sustainable printing process – read our innovative guide to Textiles Printing Sustainability in the UK here.