20 January 2026

 

Textile dyeing is one of the least visible yet most environmentally damaging steps in the fashion value chain. While brands increasingly focus on recycled fibres, alternative materials and circular design, the process of colouring fabric has changed little for decades. It remains energy-intensive, water-heavy and reliant on petrochemical inputs — a combination that makes it notoriously difficult to decarbonise.

For EverDye, a materials science company developing a new class of charge-active pigments, dyeing is not a marginal optimisation challenge but a structural one. According to CEO Philippe Berlan, it is also one of the biggest levers available for reducing fashion’s overall footprint.

“Textile dyeing is a tough problem because it’s deeply resource-intensive and historically very entrenched,” Berlan explains. “Traditional processes need high temperatures to make dyes stick to fibers, and they consume huge amounts of water. On top of that, many dyes are made from petrochemicals and require toxic auxiliaries, which makes it very hard to decarbonise while keeping performance high.”

The difficulty is not only technical. It is embedded in how the industry operates. “Dyehouses around the world are optimized for conventional wet processes, and switching to something new means retraining operators, adjusting procedures, and taking on perceived risks,” says Berlan. “Even when a solution is technically ready, aligning supply chains, quality standards, and production economics takes time.”

From heat and chemistry to surface physics

Rather than trying to incrementally improve existing dye formulations, EverDye has taken a fundamentally different approach. Conventional dyes dissolve in water, diffuse into fibres under heat and are fixed using salts and chemical binders. EverDye’s pigments rely on electrostatic attraction instead. Instead of dissolving in water and relying on heat and chemical fixatives, their pigments carry a positive charge that allows them to attach directly to fibers that have been pre-treated to carry a negative surface charge.

This shift changes the conditions under which dyeing happens. “It’s like a little magnetic attraction happening at room temperature, which eliminates the need for hot baths and toxic chemicals,”  says Berlan.

Material composition is another key difference. “Our pigments also bio-based, coming from organic waste and minerals, which makes them non-toxic and far more sustainable than petrochemical alternatives,” Berlan adds. “This approach lets us shift dyeing from a high-energy chemical problem into a surface chemistry solution, which is much gentler on both people and the planet.”

Meeting industrial quality standards

New dye technologies often fail not because they reduce impact, but because they fall short on performance. Colour depth, fastness and reproducibility remain non-negotiable for mills and brands operating at scale.

“We’ve been really encouraged by the results,” Berlan says. “Our pigments achieve vibrant, durable colors that meet the same industry standards for washing and wear as conventional dyes.”

Early brand collaborations have been used to validate those claims in production settings. “Collaborations with brands like AdoreMe have demonstrated that our approach doesn’t compromise on quality,” Berlan points out.

Consistency, a critical requirement for industrial dyeing, is also central to adoption, he adds. “Our process allows very reproducible results.”

While EverDye is still expanding its palette, he points out that current colours already support practical use. “Our current offerings—browns, oranges, yellows, and more—already give designers a strong foundation for creating a wide range of shades.”

Designed to fit existing dyehouses

One of the most common barriers to adopting cleaner dye technologies is the need for new equipment. EverDye has deliberately avoided that dependency.

“One of the things we’re proud of is how little infrastructure change is needed,” Berlan says. “Our pigments are designed to work on existing dyeing equipment.”

Operational change is still required, but it is incremental rather than structural. “There is a small learning curve for operators to manage dosing and quality control, but overall it’s about changing the process rather than replacing machines,” he explains. “This makes it much easier for mills to adopt our technology quickly and confidently.”

Order-of-magnitude reductions in energy use

The most immediate sustainability gains come from eliminating heat from the dyeing step. According to Berlan, the impact is dramatic.

“Because our process works at room temperature, energy use can drop by roughly ten times compared to traditional dyeing. Dyeing cycles are faster, sometimes up to five times quicker, which reduces costs and production time, and water consumption and chemical usage are also dramatically lower, since we eliminate most rinse steps and toxic auxiliaries.”

In pilot projects, these efficiencies translate into large emissions reductions. “CO₂ emissions reduced by nearly 90% per kilogram of fabric, which is a huge step toward sustainable production."

Cost competitiveness beyond pigment pricing

EverDye does not position its pigments as cheaper than conventional dyes on a per-unit basis. Instead, it argues that dyeing economics must be evaluated at system level.

“When it comes to dyeing operations, costs can be compared on two levels,” Berlan explains. “On the one hand, there is the cost of dyes and, on the other, all other application costs.”

Those other costs — energy, water, wastewater treatment, labour, machinery and auxiliary chemicals — are substantial. While EverDye expects pigment prices to fall as volumes increase, Berlan is clear about current realities. “We will gradually reduce the price of our pigments and dyes through economies of scale, but they will probably remain more expensive than conventional pigments with comparable performance.”

The trade-off, he argues, is clear. “Our technology allows for extremely significant savings on other application costs. By combining these two effects, our technology should be competitive with conventional technologies while providing enormous environmental benefits.”

Dyeing as a climate lever

For investors, the appeal of dye chemistry lies in its outsized impact. “Investors quickly see that dyeing is a huge lever for sustainability,” Berlan says. “It’s responsible for nearly half of fashion’s supply chain carbon emissions and a significant portion of water pollution.”

Practical deployability also matters. “Our chemistry is not only novel but also practical: it can be integrated with existing processes and scaled without major disruption,” he explains. “Patents, early brand collaborations, and a strong technical team also give investors confidence.”

Cleaner dye baths, cleaner recycling

Beyond emissions, EverDye’s approach has implications for circularity. Conventional dye baths often complicate wastewater treatment and fibre recycling due to toxic residues.

“Because our dye baths are free from toxic chemicals, wastewater is much easier to treat and recycle,” Berlan says. “This reduces environmental impact and simplifies the management of effluents.”

That cleanliness carries through to end-of-life processing. “Cleaner fibers also mean that recycling—whether chemical or mechanical—becomes much easier,” he explains. “In practice, this can make fiber-to-fiber circularity more achievable and efficient, which is critical for a truly sustainable textile industry.”

From lab innovation to mill adoption

As EverDye moves toward industrial deployment, it is prioritising markets where regulatory and commercial pressure already exists. “We’re focusing on brands and mills in Europe and North America first,” Berlan says. “Collaborations with organizations like Fashion for Good help us test the technology in real-world supply chains.”

He adds that the biggest lesson for them so far has been that technical innovation alone isn’t enough. “You need to demonstrate consistent quality, cost-effectiveness, and easy integration for mills to actually adopt a new process. Science can deliver a breakthrough, but real-world adoption comes from building trust, showing reproducible results, and making the technology feel like a natural extension of existing operations.”

 

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