Clothing production is among the top contributors to industrial wastewater pollution worldwide. One of the most resource-intensive stages of production is fabric coloration. A new project is aiming to change this.
Aalto University in Espoo, Finland is leading a new project called Melange, focused on the coloration of interior textiles, such as upholstery, window treatments and bedding. These textiles account for a third of global production but are often excluded from sustainability discussions. The project is part of Horizon Europe, the European Union’s key funding program for research and innovation.
Melange will attempt to drive sustainability at the design stage. The team believes that existing strategies of sourcing sustainable raw materials or trying new technologies will not sufficiently lessen the environmental impact of fabric coloration. Their plan is to shift coloration to the fiber stage. Spin-dyeing (also known as dope- or solution-dyeing) is a one-step process for coloring synthetic fibers. Pigment is added to the liquid polymer solution before it is extruded into fibers. With this process, Melange aims to cut water and chemical use by up to 50 percent compared with conventional finishing processes.
The team at Aalto University leading Melange is working with a consortium of nine partners based across seven European countries that cover the textile value chain. VIA University College in Denmark has researchers in materials technology and textile design; Lenzing Group in Austria is a fiber producer; Karacasu Tekstil and Vanelli Textile, both based in Türkiye, are a spinning and weaving mill, respectively; TRIIIJE in Slovenia is an architecture and interior design practice; Next Technology in Italy is a textile research center; Brussels-based Ohana Public Affairs works on policy; and Textile ETP, a European textile network, will do dissemination and communication.
This group has identified four barriers to change in making fabric coloration more sustainable: aesthetics, production practices, business models and policy. They are consequently taking a cross-disciplinary approach to addressing these obstacles. They will analyze both the dominant coloration practices, as well as sustainable heritage fiber-stage techniques. They draw special inspiration from an Italian practice of blending pre-colored recycled fibers by shade, thus avoiding re-dyeing and treating variation as a valued aesthetic.
Melange will design and prototype textiles that are made with fiber-stage coloration and test new industrial practices from fiber to fabric. They will work on transforming business models, aesthetics, and B2B marketing approaches. Finally, they will identify and recommend changes to industry standards and policies.
Textile ETP will integrate Melange into Ecosystex, a group of over 90 EU-funded projects focusing on textile sustainability. Ecosystex enables interproject collaboration, engages with policymakers, and disseminates the latest developments and results to the public expert community.
Lutz Walter, Secretary General of Textile ETP, said, “While everybody focusses on clothing and fashion, next gen fibres and recycling, Melange will tackle two stepchildren of the textile sustainability transformation: interior textiles and colour management. We will provide interior textile designers with tools and best practices to make colour a lever for sustainability and demonstrate through our industry partners that these new design practices can be effectively integrated and scaled in the world of business.”