From petrochemicals to pigments: how EverDye is reinventing textile dyeing

In our latest episode of Lexicon, we sat down with Philippe Berlan, CEO of EverDye, about why textile dyeing remains one of fashion’s most significant sustainability challenges and how new scientific approaches could help reduce the industry’s environmental impact. Berlan’s goal is simple: to make textile colouring cleaner without forcing manufacturers to rebuild their factories completely. Also, subscribe to IE+ for premium insights and exclusive content! Dyeing’s impact on the globe While discussions around sustainable fashion often focus on recycling, circularity, and consumer behaviour, Berlan believes the industry must pay closer attention to how garments are made in the first place. “The heart of the problem isn’t what happens after a garment is sold. It’s how the garment is produced in the first place,” Berlan told us, As he explained, conventional dyeing processes rely on chemical processes that require large amounts of energy and water. The process also depends heavily on petrochemical-derived dyes, creating environmental impacts long before a garment reaches the shop floor. “The dyeing process is based on chemistry that requires a lot of energy, a lot of water, and ultimately pollutes both,” he added. And the scale of the challenge is enormous. Berlan noted that textile dyeing is responsible for roughly half of the textile industry’s greenhouse gas emissions, contributing an estimated 4 to 5 percent of global emissions. That puts it in the same league as entire sectors such as aviation. For an industry producing billions of garments every year, even relatively small efficiency gains can translate into significant environmental benefits. A different approach to color EverDye’s solution is built around a fundamentally different scientific approach. Rather than relying on traditional petrochemical dyes, the company uses biopolymers and iron oxide to create what Berlan describes as a hybrid molecule. The resulting dye is designed to bond with fibres through a physical attraction rather than the conventional chemical-intensive process used today. As Berlan explained, the process takes advantage of charges already present on prepared textile fibres. “There is a kind of magnet effect, and this magnetic effect creates a great affinity of our dye stuff to jump on the fibre,” he said. This approach offers several advantages. Because the dye naturally attaches to the fabric, manufacturers can perform the process at room temperature rather than heating large volumes of water and chemicals. “It enables us to do this operation at room temperature,” he told us. That reduction in heat requirements dramatically lowers energy consumption while also reducing the need for additional processing chemicals. The result, according to EverDye, is a dyeing process capable of reducing carbon emissions by as much as 90 percent compared with conventional methods. Tackling water pollution While climate change dominates many sustainability discussions, Berlan repeatedly returned to another concern that he believes deserves equal attention. “Water is the number one problem of the textile industry,” he said. Traditional dyeing operations consume vast quantities of water and often leave behind wastewater containing chemical residues. In regions already facing water scarcity, the consequences can be severe. According to Berlan, EverDye’s process can reduce water consumption by around 30 percent, while also producing wastewater that contains no significant toxic components. “There is no toxic aspect of this content in the water,” he said. For Berlan, this issue extends far beyond environmental metrics and sustainability reports. “Wasting and polluting water isn’t a problem for 2050. In many regions, it’s a problem right now,” he added. He pointed to impacts on human health, biodiversity, and local communities living near manufacturing centres. While reducing carbon emissions remains important, improving water management could deliver more immediate benefits in some parts of the world. Scaling beyond the lab One of the biggest hurdles facing any sustainability startup is moving from promising laboratory results to large-scale commercial deployment. Berlan explained that EverDye currently supports a range of colours and cellulosic fibres including cotton, hemp, linen, and viscose, while continuing to develop solutions for additional colours, polyester fabrics, and other industrial dyeing systems. “The challenge now is moving from the lab into industry at scale,” he told us. However, Berlan believes EverDye has a major advantage over many competing technologies because manufacturers do not need to install entirely new production infrastructure. This compatibility is particularly important in an industry where margins are often tight, and capital investment decisions are carefully scrutinised. “You keep the same kitchen. You just change the ingredients,” he said. That simple analogy may be one of the most compelling aspects of EverDye’s approach. Rather than demanding a complete overhaul of existing factories, the company aims to fit within systems manufacturers already use. Learning from the past Interestingly, Berlan sees EverDye’s work as both innovative and, in some ways, a return to older traditions. For thousands of years, humans used naturally derived pigments and dyes. Petrochemical-based colourants only became dominant during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries because they offered better scalability, lower costs, and improved performance. “The petrochemical industry provides very cheap dye stuff with high quality,” he said. The challenge today is that the environmental consequences of that transition have become increasingly difficult to ignore. “We need to find alternatives because we know the harmful impact of petrochemicals,” he added. Rather than simply recreating historical dyeing techniques, EverDye is attempting to combine modern scientific understanding with more sustainable feedstocks and manufacturing methods. AI and future innovation Like many industries, fashion manufacturing is beginning to explore the potential of artificial intelligence. Berlan sees opportunities across multiple areas, from discovering new molecules and accelerating research programmes to improving production efficiency and optimising supply chains. “AI can be used in the research and innovation path,” he said. He also highlighted AI’s potential role in recycling systems, helping companies sort, classify, and process textile waste more efficiently. However, technology alone will not solve the industry’s sustainability challenges. Berlan believes meaningful progress will require cooperation between brands, manufacturers, technology developers, and consumers. Looking ahead When asked what the industry might look like in a decade, Berlan outlined a future built around cleaner energy, lower dependence on petrochemicals, and greater use of recycled fibres. He also suggested consumers may need to rethink their relationship with clothing. “If customers are willing to buy less product, more sustainable products, more durable products, I think it will be okay for the planet,” he told us.“Science helped create some of today’s environmental challenges, but science will also help solve them,” he added.Recommended Articles