Fashion company Ralph Lauren is to share its “revolutionary” new dyeing platform – which it claims will lead to the world’s first scalable zero wastewater cotton dyeing system – with industry rivals.
Company CEO Patrice Louvet announced that the first phase of the company’s new Color on Demand system would be shared with the rest of the Industry via open-sourcing later this year.
Color on Demand platform
Color on Demand is a new system composed of a set of technologies that will enable the recycling and reuse of all water from the dyeing process, establishing the world’s first scalable zero wastewater cotton dyeing system. In addition to significant water savings, Color on Demand dramatically reduces the amount of chemicals, dye, time and energy used in the cotton dyeing process.
Further, for the first time in the Industry, Color on Demand also provides a more efficient and sustainable way to color cotton at any point in product manufacturing, rather than at the outset. This will enable significantly shorter lead times for making product color decisions.
To implement its groundbreaking approach, to reimagine each stage of the colouring process and join this shared mission to create a more sustainable and efficient system for cotton dyeing, Ralph Lauren brought together 4 leading innovators in their respective fields, including:
- Dow, a leader in materials science;
- Jeanologia, a leader in sustainable solutions for garment and fabric finishing, with high expertise in garment dyeing and close loop water treatment systems;
- Huntsman Textile Effects, a global chemicals company specialising in textile dyes and chemicals;
- Corob, a global technology leader in dispensing and mixing solutions.
By 2025, Ralph Lauren aims to use the Color on Demand platform in more than 80% of the company’s solid cotton products. The Fashion Group has also developed a free manual to help other interested companies adopt the technology.
