Swedisth company develops new methods for producing synthetic fibers

The Swedish company “We are SpinDye” has developed a new method that could revolutionize the manufacturing of synthetic fibers, and thereby of pants, jackets and backpacks. The new method involves no high use of water and heavy use of chemicals which was part of the dyeing process, it is resource-efficient, sustainable, colorfast, and no bleaching out.

The Swedish company dyes synthetic fibers is completely different than any other textile company to date, as they are focused on sustainability and environmental protection. Above all, the immense use of water is significantly reduced by the innovative procedure.

The idea of We are SpinDye is really quite simple: First recycled plastic is melted down, then the desired dye pigment is added to the undyed material. After that, yarn is produced from it in the desired strength. The clients and manufacturers can further process this yarn as usual.

CEO Martin Berling of We are SpinDye said that their company is built on the principle of the least possible damage to the environment. They require hardly any water, produce practically any garbage, and the use of chemicals is reduced to a minimum.

That stands in stark contrast to the conventional dyeing process: 100 to 150 liters of water are required to dye a kilogram of textiles. Due to insufficient restrictions in countries like China or Bangladesh, the toxic water from the dyeing reaches rivers, lakes, and into the groundwater.

According to Greenpeace, two thirds of all rivers and lakes in China are classified as polluted.

We are SpinDye is offering its technology for all synthetic materials, such as polyester or nylon, but also for rayon. A combination of synthetic fibers and unbleached wool can be used. There are no limits for manufacturers in further processing: The fabrics can, for example, be coated or equipped with a membrane.

Of course, Sweden’s We are SpinDye isn’t the only company that’s developed a water-free dyeing technology. For example, Nike and Adidas likewise have procedures with ColorDry or DryDye that don’t require water for the dyeing process – for years now, at that.

But according to CEO Berling, in contrast to these technologies, they don’t need any big machines for their procedure because they already add the dye during the manufacture of the yarn.

However, another aspect is nearly even more important to Berling: they want to digitalize dyeing. In the future, manufacturers can choose the final product dye from a digital dye scale. Since the synthetic fibers are already dyed during their production, their colorfastness is guaranteed. The protracted process of color comparison no longer applies. The colorfastness is also preserved, even under extreme UV radiation. The company currently offers around 2,000 colors.

The Company want to present to a large expert audience for the first time at ISPO MUNICH 2017 as there are lots of driving power at ISPO MUNICH and also they think that the sports and outdoor industries have a bigger environmental engagement and are more interested in technical innovations.