Nobody needs to be convinced anymore: the textile industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world. That’s why it’s vital to understand the impact of each stage of production and to ensure that each one is ethical and environmentally friendly. In this article, we look at the impact of textile dyeing.

Sustainable production is not just about responsible consumption: it encompasses the whole process, from the raw materials’ harvest to their transport, including the fabrics manufacture, their treatment and clothes and bed linen manufacture. In general, how your clothes and textiles are produced has a considerable impact on the environment, the workers and even on you. It’s also interesting to understand the difference between organic and natural fibres, a subject we’ll cover in another article.

For this article, let’s focus on textile dyes.

The ecological and social impact of textile dyeing

Before arriving in your favourite shop, the textiles you wear, or use go through several stages. Depending on the finished product and the production process, these stages are cumbersome and involve products that are more or less harmful. Here are the important points to remember:

Firstly, the fibres need to be bleached. To speed up this process, the industry uses bleach, chlorine or sodium percarbonate, which are then discharged into the water. The chlorine is then absorbed by the plants and animals that drink the water and ends up in the human body system. This can have a profound impact on the respiratory and pulmonary systems, leading to illnesses such as bronchitis, pneumonia and even pulmonary oedema.

Some dyes are also composed of heavy metals (chromium, zinc, copper and cobalt) that can disrupt the endocrine system or even cause cancer. This increases the health risks not only for the workers who handle these materials daily but also for the environment, users and consumers. We should also be very wary of phthalates, an additive that softens printing inks and is widely used in plastisol printing.  Phthalates are banned in children’s products because they are endocrine disruptors, so they are not recommended for adults either.

For the environment, 20% of the world’s water pollution comes from textiles, mainly because of dyes. In countries such as China, where dyeing is practised on a massive scale, we can see rivers with unnatural colours: pink, mauve or even apple green. Furthermore, each kilo of fabric requires between 80 and 100 litres of water to be dyed. Given that 92 million tonnes of clothing are produced worldwide every year, the impact in terms of water consumption is considerable.

These health and environmental problems do not only affect producing countries but also us. Excesses and residues of the products used to bleach, dye and print textiles remain on the fabric and are only partly removed during the first wash. If you don’t clean your clothes before wearing them, you run the risk of becoming contaminated (in smaller doses than workers, admittedly), and you contaminate the water and soil around you, which in turn affects the products you eat, such as vegetables and meat, creating a vicious circle that is partly to blame for the increase in allergies and illnesses.

Is vegetable-based dyeing the solution?

To be as environmentally friendly as possible, the use of natural dyes, particularly plant-based dyes, would seem to be the ideal solution. However, this method has its limitations: it can only be applied to natural fibres such as cotton or wool and is less durable over time. What’s more, virtually all natural dyes are not qualitative, and bleed, fade and/or discolour with washing, rubbing, daylight and perspiration (basic or acidic).

The best approach would be to use chemical products that respect the environment, the health of workers and yours.

 How can you ensure that your textiles are healthy and respectful?

Not everyone is interested in organic cotton. However, more people would be concerned about where their cotton came from if they knew it increased the risk of cancer and endocrine diseases.

A reliable way of checking that your products are ethically and ecologically produced and dyed is to rely on labels. Among the many existing labels, we particularly recommend GOTS certification, recognised as the strictest on the market. For example, Kalani has chosen this label to guarantee the quality of all its bed linen, bath linen and bedding. GOTS is the only standard guaranteeing, in addition to the organic cultivation of cotton and its traceability, respect for the environment (in the countries where it is grown, manufactured and used) and the safety of human health, for cotton farmers, production workers and users alike.

Other labels, such as OEKO-TEX 100, also exist, although they are less strict, less controlled and only restrict the most dangerous products or those banned in Europe by the REACH standard. For more information on the difference between GOTS and OEKO-TEX 100, read our article on the subject.

Please note that the GOTS and Oeko-Tex 100 logos affixed to a website, packaging or label are only valid if they contain the name of the certifier and the licence number. Otherwise, you can be sure that it is a fake and the brand is not certified and, therefore not controlled. 

Conclusion

Your choice of textile purchase sources has a considerable impact in ecological and social terms. We therefore encourage you to check whether the brands you choose are labelled, as proof of their commitment to these crucial issues.