An Introduction to Natural Dyeing

An Introduction to Natural Dyeing

What are Natural Dyes?

Natural dyes are made from pigments that are derived from plants. Colours can be obtained from a range of organic sources such as roots, flowers, leaves, bark, berries and plants.
These pigments can then be used to permanently colour textiles.

The History of Natural Dyes 

Natural dyes have been part of the development of civilisation since its birth. With evidence of indigo (blue) and madder (red) being found in artefacts dating back to around 2500 BCE. This is evidence that early civilizations developed the complex fermentation processes required to produce indigo blue dyes.
The process of extracting indigo dyes was continued in India where it was developed to a production scale to become the first exportation hub of the dye to ancient Roman and Greek societies. Later indigo came to Europe through the spice trade routes. But it was a rare luxury due to the difficult travel between the two places. As a result blue became a symbol of wealth throughout the globe up until the invention of synthetic blues.
In the 1860s synthetic indigo dye was created by a German scientist. This lead to a distribution of the wealth symbol blue had been. With Levis being a key example when the released their work-wear denim trousers that were dyed with synthetic blue dye making, this made the colour accessible to working men. In the 20th century natural indigo dyes have become obsolete with only India producing natural plant indigo up until WW1.
Synthetic Dyes
Synthetic dyes were created in the mid-19th century and meant that natural dyes faded out of use. Synthetic dyes took over as they were cheaper and better able to be mass produced, which left natural dyes obsolete. They also dye synthetic fibres like polyester well, which natural dyes don’t.
Today synthetic dyes being used almost exclusively to dye textiles, causing significant harm to the planet.
The production and use of synthetic dyes has led to environmental damage due to their toxicity and bad biodegradability. This pollution can affect aquatic life, cause cancer and other health issues.
The textile industry is what causes the most pollution and harm to the environment. With an estimated 17-20% of industrial water pollution comes from toxic dye run off. This can effect the health of the wildlife and people around the affected water.

The Negatives of Natural

There are some negatives related to using natural dyes over synthetic.
Due to variation in the raw materials used for natural dyes there can be variation of colour between batches. This is due to variation in the dye plant’s growing conditions, harvest and processing methods.
Some more vibrant colours like neons can only be achieved with synthetic dyes and other colours can be more difficult to achieve with natural dyes.
Natural dyes often have a lower colour-fastness compared to synthetic dyes. The colour can fade more quickly when exposed to light and wear.
The production and use of natural dyes can be more expensive. The cost of materials can be higher as well as there being more labour intensive processes.
There are some minor environmental impacts from the mordanting chemicals, dye processes and the farming of the plants. In the dye processes and farming a lot of land and water can be used, having a potentiality negative environmental impact. Mordant chemicals can become toxic if not disposed of properly.

 

 

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