Dyeing & Printing
For centuries, the world relied on plant-based dyes to colour textiles. These dyes, popularly known as Natural Dyes, were safe for the skin and easy on the environment. The invention of synthetic dyes in the mid-1800’s and their growing use changed this. Slowly and steadily, this shift caused catastrophic damage to the environment, especially water resources, at every stage of their use. Today, nearly two centuries on, the dyeing and colouring industry is directly responsible for 20% of global industrial water pollution.
At Mera Tierra, we dream of being one with the Earth and leaving her better than when we inherited her. This dream led us to a 2-year long quest of revisiting the ancient art of dyeing using natural plant-based dyes. We experimented, talked to experts, did more research, connected with weaver groups, and experimented some more. Staying on this course has lead us to finding solutions that cause little or no air, water, or soil pollution and are biodegradable and environment-friendly.
Best source for natural dyes are extracted from plant sources that are organic, vegan, skin-safe, colour-fast, and free of harmful chemical residues.
Dye-liquid residues are free of mercury and ammonia; on the contrary it is rich in nitrogen, making it a great source of nutrients for plants.
Traditional dyeing technique by hand that requires no machinery and electricity
Use of traditional wood-fire stoves for boiling. We offset the carbon footprint by planting a tree for every piece of wood we use.
