A greener approach to cotton dyeings with excellent wash fastness

Attempts were made to find a more environmentally friendly method of dyeing cotton as an alternative to standard reactive dyeing processes that require high levels of water. salt and alkali and produce high levels of effluent contamination. It was intended that the new method would not compromise the excellent wash fastness levels typical of reactive dyed cotton. By employing a pre-treatment method, salt and alkali could be completely eliminated from the dyeing process and, in comparison with standard reactive dyeing processes, the time taken for the dyeing process to be completed could be significantly reduced and the volume of water required could be halved. The dyeings secured using the pre-treatment method had wash fastness values equal to those observed for the standard reactive dyeings.