Nike Advances Beyond Water, Chemical Dyeing

February 5, 2014- In a recent article, "Nike Moves To Water-Free, Chemical-Free Dyeing," the GreenBiz.com blog is reporting on a new carbon-based process for dyeing polyester with neither the need for enormous amounts of water nor the toxic footprint historically associated with chemical dyeing.

Here are some of the highlights from the GreenBiz article:

• The dyeing process begins with placing carbon dioxide under extreme pressure whereby it temporarily becomes a liquid substitute for water in dyeing textiles. Once it cools, the carbon dioxide returns to a gaseous state where 95% of it is recaptured and used again.

• Not using water means that fabrics dye 40 percent faster and don't have to be dried — a sixty percent savings in energy. In the past, Nike consumed over 3 billion gallons of water per year to process polyester and cotton for its products.

• The process requires no chemicals to fix the dye to clothes, as is the case with a water-based dyeing process. After criticism from Greenpeace a few years ago, Nike announced it would cease using hazardous chemicals in its global supply chain by 2020.

• DyeCoo, a Netherlands-based company, is the world's first supplier of industrial carbon-dyeing equipment. The process itself is 25 years old, but DyeCoo managed to make it more cost-effective. DyeCoo is currently developing the process for cotton and other materials.

Read the full GreenBiz.com post here.

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