From Waste to Black Pigment
The aim of the project was to validate the use of black pigments derived from waste materials to replace conventional carbon black from virgin fossil fuels in dope dyeing applications. The aim is to reduce the environmental impact of textile dyeing by using renewable, eco-friendly pigments sourced from waste.
What's the challenge?
Carbon black, the most commonly used black pigment in textiles, is sourced from fossil fuels, contributing to significant environmental degradation. The fashion industry requires a more sustainable, renewable solution to minimise its ecological impact.
Executive Summary
Fashion for Good launched this project in February 2022 in collaboration with brand partners Bestseller, Kering, PVH Corp. and manufacturing partners Birla Cellulose and Paradise Textiles. The project has two main workstreams covering man-made cellulosics and polyester dope dyeing, using a stage-gate approach to validate at a lab then pilot scale.
Through the trials the project partners were able to gain valuable insights around the key levers needed to utilise each of the pigments in both polyester and MMC applications. These include the need for the particle size of the pigment to be between a specific range and the volumes required to achieve the necessary colour fastness.
The trials also demonstrated that each of the innovators pigment was more suited to a particular fibre type which has also provided them with additional strategic insight into which application areas they should focus on.
The project will conclude in Q1’25. The remaining scope of the project includes the final pilot trials as well as the screening LCA which will be conducted by Fashion for Good’s Impact Team. Alongside this the team will work closely with the manufacturing partners and innovators to scope and validate the business case for utilising these pigments in this application.
Goals of the Project
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Validate the use of biobased black pigments from waste feedstock for dope dyeing applications and ensure they meet the necessary performance requirements
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Test the different pigments at a lab and pilot scale in man made cellulosic and polyester dope dyeing applications
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Conduct a Screening LCA of each of the participating innovators and benchmark against conventional dyestuff
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Build the business case for using bio based black pigments within these application areas
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Innovation Partners
Project Partners
Innovators
Implementation Partners
Relevant Resources
From Waste to Black Pigment
In Conversation with Living Ink: Turning Biomass Waste Into Value
Other Projects
Retrofit Track
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Demonstrator
Decarbonising textile processing cannot be achieved through individual technologies alone. It requires end-to-end implementation in real factories, where multiple innovations must operate together under production constraints, commercial timelines, and regional infrastructure realities. Demonstrator facilities play a critical role in bridging this gap — translating validated technologies into integrated, operating factories that generate the technical, financial, and operational evidence needed for scale.
Blueprints
The open-source, modular blueprint for sustainable Tier-2 textile manufacturing is a forward-looking, industry-wide tool designed to accelerate adoption of next-generation sustainability practices. It enables manufacturers to build and implement near-net-zero factories by providing clear operational pathways, alongside economic viability and social impact analysis of advanced processes and solutions. By breaking complex technical recommendations into adaptable modules, the blueprint allows manufacturers of all scales to integrate improvements in a phased, practical way, aligned with globally benchmarked best practices and emerging regulatory standards. The project aims to cover 7 geographies by 2030.
