Fabric dyes are a toxic problem. These beautiful alternative colors are made out of food waste

In the United States alone, more than 15 million pounds of textile waste is generated each year. In response to the environmentally harmful practices of fast fashion —a business model that prioritizes quick and cheaply made garments over long-lasting quality and fair workers’ wages—some brands and designers are making ethically sourced materials and manufacturing processes a production requirement. Nicole Stjernsward, a London-based design technologist, has developed a system for dyeing fabric that could soon become a critical device for companies divesting from harmful production practices. Kaiku is a project that turns fruit and vegetable peels into powder pigment. Through the use of vaporization technology, Stjernsward’s system can essentially convert what you’d normally compost into vivid colors, ripe for fabric dyeing. “Paint used to be made with local materials using recipes that only required a few ingredients. Most of the ingredients were things commonly found in your kitchen, such as casein and quark from milk,” says Stjernsward. While mineral pigments were historically made with natural sources like soil and clay, “more exotic colors were extracted from local plants or wildlife,” she adds. Today, paint companies focus on having the most durable and vibrant pigments, which are often full of inexpensive […]

Click here to view original web page at Fabric dyes are a toxic problem. These beautiful alternative colors are made out of food waste