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Algae in Fashion

A Sustainable Approach to Textile Production and Dyeing

Algae-based textile additives can be used for dyeing fabrics, or as antimicrobial coatings, providing a sustainable alternative to conventional additives. But what is the process behind using algae in the textile industry?



The Textile Industry

In one Minute or Less
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Million tones of textiles are produced yearly

Up to 146 million tonnes are expected by 2030, if business as usual continues.

  • 1. Management
    Design and Production

    To create textiles, we first need to design, optimise, manage and monitor the production process.

  • 2. Cultivation
    Wool and Cotton

    Natural fibers come from agriculture. Cotton is grown in fields and wool is obtained from sheep. These fibres form the basis of the textiles used in LOCALITY.

  • 3. Spinning
    Yarn Production

    The raw fibers are cleaned, aligned, and spun into yarns.

  • 4. Knitting & Weaving
    Fabric Production

    The yarns are then woven or knitted into fabrics. This process produces fabrics such as denim and flannel.

  • 5. Dyeing
    Fabric Processing

    In the final stage, the fabrics are given colour, texture, and properties. This is done through dyeing, printing, and coatings.

    This is also where the algae additives come into play.

At every stage of the textile industry, waste is generated, emissions are released and wastewater is produced.

Dyeing products make up for about 20 % of global clean water pollution.

They are also responsible for 36% of the total climate impact from the whole textile supply chain.

The Problem of Dyeing Cloth

The textile industry is one of the most environmentally harmful sectors. It emits more than 1.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂), and consumes large amounts of electricity, especially during the dyeing process. Heating water and running multiple wash cycles make dyeing one of the most energy‑ and water‑intensive stages of textile production.

When clothes are dyed, many chemicals are used to make fabrics: softer, stronger, or water-resistant. Some of these chemicals, such as formaldehyde, cationic surfactants, and fluorochemicals, can be harmful to nature. Especially to rivers and aquatic life.

Because of its high CO₂ emissions and the use of harmful chemicals, the textile industry is a major source of environmental pollution.

Source

This is Where Algae can Help!

Meet Mick and Mack

Algae grow using only water, light, and nutrients, which they use to build their biomass. Parts of this biomass, such as pigments, have applications in the textile industry. Pigments extracted from algae can be used as natural colourants, which helps reduce dependence on petroleum-based synthetic dyes.

Algae based dyes can also work under milder conditions and with fewer additives, which reduces the overall chemical, energy and wastewater load.

But how exactly are algae used in the textile industry?

Management

As there is no standardised method for algae applications in the textile industry, the entire process needs to be carefully designed and monitored.

Research is still needed to understand the performance and processing of different algae species.

What needs to be managed?

Material: Fabric type and quality

Dye: Dye class and concentration, additional chemicals

Dyeing conditions: Temperature, time, pH and water ratio

Dyeing Process: What method of dyeing textile? Is it scalable?

Quality control: Does the colour remains intact through repeated washing, exposure to light and rubbing, and over extended periods of time.

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Biorefinery

Researchers need to isolate the algae compounds of interest

First researchers target the compounds of interest, extract and isolate them. This process is called biorefinery. The researchers then evaluate the properties of the produced extracts, and adjust them according to the textile industry needs.

Examples of algae assessed:

Microalgae: Nannochloropsis sp., Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Galdieria sulphuraria, Spirulina

Macroalgae: Red algae (Palmaria palmata), brown algae (Saccharina latissima);

Fabric Processing

Using algae to make cloth colourful

Fabric dyeing is the process by which colour is transferred from a liquid dye bath onto the fabric, and fixed so that it does not wash out.

Dyeing and finishing

During dyeing, the fabric is placed in a dye bath that contains the algae pigment. Heat, time and binding agents will influence the final color of the fabric and its stability.

The algae compounds contain natural pigments, such as chlorophylls (green), carotenoids (yellow–orange) and phycobiliproteins (red or blue). Some also contain phenols that have natural antibacterial agents.







Tides of Color

Fabrics Dyed with Algae

Made by LOCALITY partner Mounid
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  • Bild: ESCI

From Lab to Large Scale

Bridging the gap

Algae dyes should be tested in industry-relevant conditions and bench marked against conventional dyes.

For this, the dyed fabric is tested specifically for colourfastness, to understand how long the colour remains the same through repeated washing, light exposure and rubbing, and over extended periods of time.

Not only the algae-based dye formulation is optimised, but also the process

Researchers are working to develop a plug-in solution: a single, streamlined formulation that requires no secondary coding step and is easy for the industry to adopt and scale up.

  • Bild: ESCI



Circularity Powered by Algae

Click through the process
  • Video: Envato