\u201cWe will always have the need to produce garments, so at least we need to find a solution to produce them in a clean way,\u201d Berlan says.<\/p>\n
That gap is what Ever Dye, founded in 2021, aims to fill. The idea began in Amira Erokh\u2019s PhD lab at the University of Sfax, where she developed a pigment-based technology for coloring fabrics and eliminating the need for dyes. Through an entrepreneurship program, Erokh partnered with engineer Ilan Palacci to turn the idea into a business. The pair engineered a new class of biobased pigments that cling to fibers without heat. Palacci left in 2024, and Berlan came on board as CEO to guide the French company toward commercialization.<\/p>\n
Pigments are uncommon in the textile industry because, unlike dyes, they are insoluble in water and need a binder to stick to fabrics. The acrylic and polyurethane binders typically used can make clothing stiff and contribute to microplastic pollution.<\/p>\n
\n Outdoor headshots of Philippe Berlan and Amira Erokh.<\/p>\n
Ever Dye CEO Philippe Berlan (left) and chief technology officer and cofounder Amira Erokh (right)<\/p>\n
Credit:
\n Ever Dye<\/p>\n
Extracted from organic and inorganic natural materials, Ever Dye\u2019s pigments are attached to a bioderived polymer that gives them a positive charge. After fabrics undergo a pretreatment that adds a negative surface charge, the pigment binds to the textile electrostatically, acting like a magnet and locking onto fibers. Most fabrics are naturally negatively charged, so the process just strengthens the attraction, says Ever Dye research scientist Christelle Chauffeton.<\/p>\n
The team designed the method to minimize pollution, as well as to avoid toxic chemicals and high energy costs in the dyeing process and in pigment formulation. \u201cWe follow as much as possible the rules of green chemistry,\u201d Chauffeton says.<\/p>\n
\n“We will always have the need to produce garments, so at least we need to find a solution to produce them in a clean way.”<\/p>\n
Philippe Berlan, CEO, Ever Dye<\/p>\n