Waterless Colour System - Apparel Impact Institute

e.dye®
Waterless Colour System

As compared to conventional water-dye process, solution dyeing (also called "dope dye") technology reduces process demand for energy by integrating color pigments directly into polyester chips during the spinning stage, creating extruded yarns in color - ready for textile manufacturing. For solution dye, think "carrot" (color all the way through the fiber) rather than "radish"(color on the surface only) like conventional dye . This approach offers superior color performance in resistance to fading in light (4X times the UV fade resistance than traditional piece dye), eliminates 100% of water consumption, and reduces CO2 emission by 43% . Finally, solution dye colorization is ideally suited for circular textile to textile recycling. e.dye® Waterless Color System is in Kunshan, China.

Solution maturity level

Pre-seed

Definition:

Solutions that are at a concept level and in the process of evaluating and establishing their impact potential.

Pilot

Definition:

Solutions that are in the process of testing their solution in order to demonstrate a proof of concept.

Model

Definition:

Solutions that are working towards de-risking and reducing known barriers to scale.

Goal:

e.dye® are actively seeking to replicate the pilot solution in China and implement it in other venues; we are currently exploring other partners in SE Asia now, which may include other tiers in textile production.

Scale

Definition:

Solutions that are commercially viable with a proven go-to-market strategy.

Model

Current Level

Pre-seed

Pilot

Scale

Model DEFINITION

Solutions that are working towards de-risking and reducing known barriers to scale.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR MATURITY LEVELS

Goal Of This Model Solution

Current Level

Pre-seed DEFINITION

Solutions that are at a concept level and in the process of evaluating and establishing their impact potential.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR MATURITY LEVELS

Pilot DEFINITION

Solutions that are in the process of testing their solution in order to demonstrate a proof of concept.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR MATURITY LEVELS

Scale DEFINITION

Solutions that are commercially viable with a proven go-to-market strategy.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR MATURITY LEVELS

Actual Solution impact

Impact is calculated over the duration of the solution.

What are the different saving types?

GHG savings

3.90

kgCO2e

Average actual savings per kg of production

27% Average

Energy savings

0.38

Average actual savings per kg of production

4% Average

Water savings

Average actual savings per site/year

4308

Savings since registration

100% Average

Financial breakdown

To support the implementation and scaling of e.dye® solution-dye technology, the facility must invest in a complete set of infrastructure and equipment, including the following: Masterbatch Production Equipment,Spinning Equipment, DTY (Draw Texturing Yarn) Machines, Auxiliary Production Equipment,Yarn Testing Equipment.

Site Investment

Implementation cost

6.5

Payback period

Average payback in years

tCO₂e =

$592

$67 industry average

Payback period

Average actual total investment cost per tCO₂e reduction

Invested COST PER tCO₂e

DISCLAIMER: These are average projected values, average cost and impact ratios will depend on site specific implementation.

What are the different saving types?

Implementation Plan

Implementing the e.dye® solution-dye technology involves a collaborative process between the client (user) and e.dye® as the solution provider. The key stages and responsibilities include color development & approval, aligning and coordinating with downstream partners such as knitters, weavers, and garment makers for solution-dyed yarn and fabric trials. e.dye® offers ongoing support for color management, product expansion, and continuous improvement.

15months

Projected project length

Implementation milestones

Projected project length

Kickoff & Feasibility Review

Masterbatch Production

Yarn Production (Partially Oriented Yarn which is then converted to Fully Drawn Yarn or Draw Textured Yarn)

Yarn Testing Lab

Yarn and downstream fabric trials.

Case Study

1 Region

1 Site

1 Years

Impact

GHG saved

2,494

tCO2e

Energy saved

910

Water saved

17,233

The Challenge

The current solution has been implemented in Kunshan, China only. The data is from Bluwin® audits of this facility as the sole solution provider at this time.

Solution program growth

Since 2021, Guangdong Energy & Water Efficiency has been deployed in 65 sites.

1

Total sites

2016–2025

7

Brands Adopting This Solution

2016–2025

$3,230,000

Actual total investments

2016–2025

Solution providers

e.dye®

Contrary to traditional pipe-end control, e.dye® focuses on waste reduction at the source through sustainable textile design. The e.dye® Waterless Color System™ (WCS) uses dope-dyed yarn to replace water-based dyeing, eliminating water use in the process. WCS polyester products offer a wide color range and meet or exceed the performance of traditional dyed fabrics.

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