Processing
IDT's gBlocks used by Colorifix to produce ecofriendly dyes.
Impact of the textile industry on environment
The textile industry is one of the world’s major water polluters. Its standard dyeing process, which annually requires approximately a trillion gallons of fresh water, releases pollutants that can be damaging to humans and the environment.Consider that just three of India’s textile dyeing hubs account for an estimated 17-20% of the world’s water pollution, which has resulted in tainted drinking water laden with hormone-disrupting chemicals. Combined with the massive textile production in China and elsewhere in the world, the garment-dyeing process could be damaging a significant portion of the world’s water supply.
Reducing the negative environmental impact of textiles
The search for a solution has become vital, which is why sustainability is one of the hottest topics in the fashion industry. That included London Fashion Week, where Colorifix (colorifix.com), a textile dye company with synthetic biology roots, turned nearly as many heads as those strutting on the catwalks.
Based in Cambridge, England, Colorifix used IDT’s gBlocks Gene Fragments to develop a dyeing process that uses engineered organisms to produce pigments and, subsequently, dyes without the use of harmful chemicals, heavy metals or acids.
The breakthrough may dramatically reduce the environment impact of textile dyeing in a cost-effective manner. The regular dyeing process uses a water-to-fabric ratio of 30-50:1. The new Colorifix process minimizes water usage, which is reduced to only 3:1. Designer Stella McCartney said that she works with Colorifix because the process is a “real game changer.”
What is Colorifix?
Colorifix, which was founded in 2016, has been honored by the fashion industry with an ANDAM Award. The company has also won the Breaking New Ground Award and second place overall at London’s Bio-start competition for companies that use engineering biology to solve significant world problems.
Learn more at colorifix.com.
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