It’s easy to take for granted the clothes we wear, the sheets we sleep in, and the fabrics that surround our lives. Yet we rarely consider how these everyday textiles are made – or dyed. Behind every colour is a hidden story of immense environmental cost. Understanding the past is essential if we’re to appreciate the need for change. As clean-tech innovations rise and consumers demand sustainability, we are entering a new era in addressing what was accepted as normal for textile dyeing.
The Truths Behind Textile Dyeing
We all know textile dyeing is one of the most polluting industrial processes in the world. Owing to the prolonged use of outdated, wasteful dyeing methods.
When combined with dyestuffs, traditional textile dyeing methods produce highly polluting wastewater, with effluent including up to 72 toxic chemicals. The majority of which go untreated because of conventional treatments being unable to remove them. Directly affecting the quality of waterways in textile manufacturing regions, causing environment degradation and a danger to human health.
Not only is the water use inefficient, but the energy used in heating the water is equally unsustainable. Relying on unrenewable energy sources such as burning fossil fuels have led to textile dyeing being responsible for around 10% of annual global carbon emissions. These truths behind textile dyeing should be heard and stopped.
No Longer Accepting "Normal"
With growing awareness around environmental preservation and improving human health, calls for change to move away from traditional textile dyeing to cleaner, more sustainable methods are being raised across the industry. Pushing every stakeholder to follow the regulations and leave water-consumptive textile processes behind.
Industry-wide, stakeholders are under pressure to comply with stricter environmental standards. Traditional textile dyeing, long criticised for its excessive water consumption and pollution, is being challenged by regulators, environmental groups, and consumers alike. We are entering an era where innovation must replace inertia - and where “business as usual” simply won’t cut it.
One major driver of this shift is regulation. Since its inception in 2011, the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) Programme has led the charge in removing toxic substances from the textile supply chain. By 2020, an impressive 98% of suppliers reported no detection of restricted substances in wastewater, according to ZDHC’s Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL) criteria (ZDHC Foundation, 2025). This marks a significant move towards safer, cleaner production.
Governments are also stepping up. The European Union’s REACH regulation requires the registration, evaluation, and restriction of chemical substances, directly impacting how textiles are dyed. This has influenced key manufacturing countries like Bangladesh and India to tighten their own wastewater discharge laws, pushing local manufacturers to embrace cleaner, more responsible practices.
The global textile industry is being reshaped - and we’re no longer accepting “normal” if it means compromising our future.
Transitioning To The New Normal
Moving away from outdated processes is not only reshaping operations but also accelerating innovation in textile dyeing. The call for responsible, more sustainable solutions is now louder more than ever.
Faced with these rising expectations – from both policymakers and the public – it is no longer being accepted that what was once normal needs to be anymore. This shift marks the transition to the new normal, where innovative technologies such as digital textile dyeing are not just welcomed but essential.
Unlike traditional dyeing, Alchemie’s digital textile dyeing solutions significantly reduce water and chemical use by precisely applying dyes only where needed. Our revolutionary Endeavour™ digital dyeing system uses up to 95% less water, 85% less energy, and 30% fewer chemicals compared to traditional methods.
Our innovations not only benefit the planet but are also smarter for brands, dyehouses, and textile manufacturers. With being able to generate real-time data using our Discovery lab dip system, you can improve both accuracy and productivity of your textile dyeing when transitioning to our Endeavour™ full-scale production system.
By using less water, less energy, and less chemistry naturally means lower costs. So, by adopting our clean-tech solutions, you can cut your operational costs by up to 50%, meet regulatory compliance, and enhance your sustainability credentials to meet the evolving needs of consumers.
Our technologies are a game-changer for clean-tech in the textile industry.
A Cleaner Normal Starts Now
For centuries, it was accepted that pollution, water wastage, and chemical runoff were the cost of dyeing textiles. But with growing awareness and technological breakthroughs, the calls for a cleaner normal starts now.
As the industry becomes more environmentally conscious – from governments to policymakers to consumers –textile manufacturers have an opportunity to lead the charge in clean-tech solutions. Therefore, digital textile dyeing is economically and environmentally sustainable, as we transition away from water-consumptive textile dyeing being normalised to a cleaner, brighter future.
Contact enquiries@alchemietechnology.com to start your transition to a cleaner normal today.