It ain't fashion, if it ain't sustainable

Bosco MA Henriques

Made in India / Natural Dyes

18 April 2023

7 minutes

The late Ann Shankar, a keen student of textile history, visited libraries in Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi and in England to compile a list of over 500 plants that had been recorded by the British botanists, whose parts were used as textile dyes. During this study, she was aghast to learn that her direct ancestor, the first Governor-General of India, had ordered this study in order to transfer the intellectual property of Indian dyers to England. She used her inheritance to support BioDye when it was started.

Synthetic Dyes are Designed to be Recalcitrant, With Most Being Non-Biodegradable

As the textile-apparel-fashion industry oscillates from greenwashing to greenhushing and greenblushing, a critical component of the backend is the dye. While it is becoming increasingly critical for manufacturers to shift to natural dyes, what also needs to be done is make them as popular as their synthetic counterparts and educate the customer about their basic goodness, mechanise dyeing and grow more raw materials so as to reduce the cost of the dyed product.

Richa Bansal

Interview

Exclusive

Made in India / Natural Dyes

17 April 2023

6 minutes

BioDye can dye most of the Pantone shades and meet the fastness criteria too. Their natural dyed textiles can compete with synthetic dyes in range and performance.

Leaves, Roots, Tea Dust, Madder & More to Make Natural Dyes at BioDye are Self-Certified

While the world scours for makers of natural dyes, here’s someone in India quietly greening the planet one step at a time in a low volume, high value business. The textile-apparel-fashion industry may stand up and take note, not just to source earth-friendly dyes but also pitch in with funding to help them do more for the people and the environment. texfash.com talks to the Co-Founder-Director of BioDye India Pvt Ltd, Dr Bosco MA Henriques, to bring you his voice from the Konkan region of the Western Ghats.