ECONOMYNEXT – Noyon Lanka, a unit of Sri Lanka’s MAS apparel group has developed a new plant extract-based dye that reduces water and energy use in washing plants and makes the industry more environmentally friendly, officials said.
The ‘Planetones’ branded dye is also biodegradable.
“We initiated the plant extraction process at our Noyon research and development labs in Sri Lanka,” Manjula Jayawardena, the Director General Manager of Innovation at Noyon Lanka said.
“However, when it comes to the commercial state we cannot do that in a lab and we have to go for partners with bigger capacity.”
“We bring these extracts to our facilities and the formulation is being done here.”
Planetones dye reduces water use in the washing cycle by 30 percent and energy 15 percent, the company said.
The dye has also been cleared by Control Union, a EU-based certification group.
Initially, dyeing is being promoted with lace, but Jayawardena said dye can be applied to all synthetic materials, including nylon fabrics and garments.
Jayawardena said polyester and cotton products with natural dying will be also presented to the market going forward.
Noyon’s facility in Biyagama is capable of making 500 kilograms per colour per month and expects to expand the capacity according to the demand.
The firm has started commercializing the product in French and Italian markets under Etam and Yamamay brands.
The plant extract-based dye is expected to cost around 8 percent more than synthetic dyes.
“Some of our customers have already working on taking the product to the market,” Sunesh Rodrigo, the General Manager of Sales and Marketing at Noyon Lanka said. “In the next two to three years, we will have another 3-4 brands that will be commercializing our products.”
“A leading brand in the industry is currently in discussion with us for this product. We also have regional level manufacturers who are interested in the product, such as in India and the Far East.” (Colombo/ Aug 31/2022)