EarthColors®: Turning Waste into Beauty
When we think about sustainable bedding, we might think of things like biodegradability, Earth-friendly packaging, or fabrics made from natural resources without the use of harsh chemicals. But have you ever considered the sustainability of the colors incorporated into your bedding? Because color is what our eyes are drawn to first, fabric dyeing has become a booming industry. However, some ways of dyeing fabrics end up harming the environment more than helping it. So, when it comes to the colors of your bedding, the more sustainable option is to use natural dyes like EarthColors®.
What Are EarthColors®?
Archroma, a globally recognized partner committed to finding the most safe, efficient, and enhanced ways of creating a more sustainable world, developed EarthColors® as an all-natural dyeing process. EarthColors® is a patented process that only uses all-natural resources, as opposed to chemicals from synthetic dyes, to create natural, warm-colored dyes for fabrics.
The Sustainability of EarthColors®
Using natural resources like plants to create dyes is about as old as human civilization, but EarthColors® has improved this process to make it even more sustainable. Instead of using natural dyes from fruits, vegetables, and other plants directly, EarthColors® only uses materials that come from non-edible parts, such as shells or leaves, to up-cycle and reduce waste from agricultural and herbal industries.
Approximately 22% of solid waste in the United States comes from agricultural by-products. Reducing that number by up-cycling the non-edible parts to use as natural dyes allows EarthColors® to use up to 100% of natural raw materials for a more sustainable dyeing process. Beyond the nature-based, zero-waste benefits of EarthColors®, their dyeing process is also energy- and water-conscious and has significantly reduced CO2 emissions.
What Do EarthColors® Look Like?
Choosing products that have been dyed with an all-natural dye like EarthColors® allows your fabrics to still look aesthetically pleasing while connecting you to the Earth through a much more sustainable dyeing process. Many believe that the shades produced by natural dyes are seen as being more soft, soothing, and comforting to the human eye than synthetic dyes. The process of dyeing fabrics with EarthColors® is not only more eco-friendly, but it also creates stunning, warm, earthy colors for a more natural aesthetic.
Want to see the difference for yourself? Our Purecare + Dr. Weil bedding uses EarthColors® to create beautiful, natural colors like Desert Sand, Pink Sandstone, and Ochre. These colors were created from the inedible leaves and shells of almonds, beets, and bitter oranges for a non-invasive dyeing process.
Sources
“A Brief History of Colour, the Environmental Impact of Synthetic Dyes and Removal by Using Laccases.” National Library of Medicine. ncbi.nlm.nih/pmc/articles/PMC8270347/
“A Recent (2009–2021) Perspective on Sustainable Color and Textile Coloration Using Natural Plant Resources.” Heliyon. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.cell/heliyon/pdf/S2405-8440(22)02267-8.pdf
“EarthColors®, A New Method of Creating Warm Shades from Nature.” Archroma. archroma.com/innovations/earth-colors-by-archroma
“Impact of Textile Dyes on Human Health and Environment.” IGI Global. igi-global.com/chapter/impact-of-textile-dyes-on-human-health-and-environment/240902
“Love Nature x EarthColors®.” Archroma. https://www.archroma.com/systems/love-nature-earthcolors
“Natural Dyes: Their Past, Present, Future and Sustainability.” ResearchGate. researchgate.net/publication/293885858_Natural_dyes_their_past_present_future_and_sustainability
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