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Is this the future of fashion?

Fashion for Good has launched the D(R)YE Factory of the Future initiative in a bid to clean up one of the most polluting processes in the industry.

It is in the pre-treatment and colouration phases of textile production that the highest emissions of the fashion value chain are generated. To combat this, the new global consortium project led by Fashion for Good will bring together innovations that can transform these stages and pave the way for a seismic shift in processing techniques from wet to dry.

Contributing 20% of global water pollution, and 10% of all emissions, the textile industry has a toxic footprint, which the innovations inside the D(R)YE Factory of the Future are targeting with solutions that can cut water consumption by between 83% and 95%.

“Textile processing is the largest contributor to carbon emissions in the supply chain and a shift to mostly dry processing is crucial for the path to net-zero,” said Katrin Ley, Managing Director at Fashion for Good. “Given the interdependencies in the processing stages, a stand-alone assessment of solutions is not sufficient. By validating a combination of technologies, we can unlock the full potential of those solutions. This is why this project is so pivotal.”

Adidas, Welspun India, and Kering are among the FFG partners involved in the initiative, which will showcase the impact eight innovators: Alchemie Technologies, Deven Supercriticals, eCO2Dye, GRINP, Indigo Mill Designs, imogo, MTIX and Stony Creek Colors, can make with innovations that offer solutions to the emissions generated in pre-treatment and colouration.

“Success in this project will help us further in leading water stewardship within industries and achieving carbon neutrality,” added Umasankar Mahapatra, senior vice president and group head – Innovation and Sustainability, Welspun India. “The working group of this project has created a perfect matrix to test all key raw materials and dyeing chemistries. Looking forward to seeing the disruption in textile processing through this project.” 

The results from harnessing these technologies, which include laser treatments, and foam dyeing, will be published later this year.

Read more about the technologies.

The founders of the Factory initiative say it will build on some of the key findings of a recent Fashion for Good, and Apparel Impact Institute study revealing the industry can still reach net-zero by 2050 if $1 trillion of investment is mobilised to scale a range of targeted solutions.

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Written By

Susan is the co-founder of Innovators Magazine and a consultant for OnePoint5Media. Susan is also a member of the UNFCCC-led Resilience Frontiers Nexus group and the Chair of the APOPO Foundation UK board.

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