Environmentally Sustainable Dying
The textile industry is plagued with many environmental issues. From excessive waste to human rights, one of the biggest issues lies in the dying process. Industrial dying consumes incredibly high quantities of water, and subsequently produces an equal amount of waste water.
I personally take issue with the destruction of the environment. Thus, I found it imperative that I used less destructive methods when printing my blocks. In this post I will detail what I do to be more environmentally responsible, sustainable, and have the lowest possible impact on the climate. If I miss anything you are curious about, feel free to contact me!
Not all dyes are created equal. While some natural dyes, like indigo, produce fantastic results in wide ranging applications, some natural dyes are not always the best option. Many natural dying processes require the use of metal salt mordant, such as chromium or tin, to achieve certain colors. Natural dyes can leave pigment particles in the fabric fibers, which will slowly be washed out over time. They also require a bonkers high ratio of dye stuffs to fabric, which in some cases can make them unsustainable or not easily obtainable (the weight ratio is often 1 to 2 parts dye stuff to 1 part fiber). It is also common that certain natural dyes will also only dye certain types of fibers.
On top of all that, there is also an issue of consistency. Where it is easy to get repeatable results with properly measured fiber reactive dyes, there are many more variables with natural dyes such as ambient temperature, unpredictable pigment concentration, and the age related decay of the pigments! This is not to say that natural dyes are inferior, they can produce beautiful results, they are just not practical when trying to create economical and consistent results.
This I why I use fiber reactive dye, also known as procion dye. If you have ever tie dyed, this is the dye you probably used. The dye chemically bonds to fiber, making it permanent and fade resistant. This also means it won’t come out of dyed material. This may seem self-explanatory to some, but on a molecular level, however, others are concerned about the chemicals in dyes transferring to their person. People are always so quick to judge when the word chemical gets used. Fiber reactive dyes are reactive with fiber, not reactive with skin (unless you are a plant...) Not only does this not happen with fiber reactive dyes, the dyes pose no risk to the consumer. In fact, I’m willing to bet you are wearing something dyed with fiber reactive dyes right now. Are any of your clothes made of cotton? If so, you are wearing clothes dyed with fiber reactive dyes!
Here's the science behind it!
Fiber reactive dyes use covalent bonds to to add a chromophoric molecules to the fiber being dyed. Chromophores reflect or absorb certain types of light that our eyes interpret as color. By raising the dyes pH with sodium carbonate (more about this later), hydrogen atoms are released from the fiber. This allows the fiber to pick up electrons from the dye, hence creating the covalent bond.
Tldr: The color from fiber reactive dyes becomes part of the molecular structure of the fabric.
The dyer is the only one subject to any health concerns from fiber reactive dyes, the risk of which can be easily mitigated using proper protective equipment. The only chance for dye to enter the body is when it’s in its powder form, therefore it's necessary to take steps to insure it’s not inhaled. One concern here is that some blue dyes contain copper, which can be damaging if inhaled. I have a solution to this, which is: uh... Don't rail it like a line of coke? You'll be fine.
Although it will actually stain your skin, it is not absorbed through the skin. Once all excess dye has been rinsed out in the final dying stages, the remaining color is chemically bonded to the fibers and is not removable. The only additive required for fiber reactive dyes is soda ash, or sodium carbonate (baking soda with one less carbon), which is commonly used in laundry detergents. Consumption of fiber reactive dyes has not been studied to my knowledge, however the only person who could accidently consume dye would be the dyer. Considering the widespread industrial use of fiber reactive dyes since the mid-20th century, there is little evidence to suggest any concerns post-dying.
As with the textile industry as a whole, the biggest environmental concern when it comes to fiber reactive dyes is water consumption during the dying process. On an industrial scale, this can cause issues as an accelerated process requires higher water usage. This is multiplied by the fact that these dyes are some of the most widely used in the industry. On a smaller scale, it is much easier to conserve water by allowing excess dyes to be removed via soaking instead of repeated rinsing or washing. As for waste water, it is known that fiber reactive dyes can be broken down in tradition waste water systems. The only issue I’ve come across is the potential for high amounts of alkaline water (waste water from the dying process is made alkaline by the soda ash) to upset septic tanks. This is, however, easily mitigated by adding a little vinegar to neutralize it before disposing of large quantities. Just another reason to shop small!
For further reading, I highly recommend Dharma Trading’s resources (including MSDSs for all the dyes they supply) and Paula Burch’s site. Dharma is where I source all my dying supplies and they have been in the game for decades. Paula Burch’s “All About Hand Dyeing” site is a treasure trove of information with everything you ever wanted to know about dying and is a great resource for anyone who wants to try their hand at dying. For more information related to this topic specifically, check out:
https://www.dharmatrading.com/info/fiber-reactive-dye-general-information.html?lnav=techniques.html
http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/dyeblog/C763608095/E20060722113724/
http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/dyeblog/C1307213733/E20111014082821/index.html
