A striking, crimson-red dye doesn’t have to come from chemical dyestuffs: it can also be made by extracting carminic acid from the cochineal insect. Other natural dyes include a rusty red obtained from pomegranate rind, a calming green from green tea extracts, and a bold indigo from Indigofera plants. The great thing about natural dye is that it uses less water and chemicals compared to conventional synthetic dyes, and keeps cultural traditions alive.

To use natural dye on a commercial scale, we must further develop its stability against the usual elements. One of the latest and most exciting breakthroughs in our R&D has shown that our natural dye meets the industrial standards for color fastness and stability against washing, dry cleaning and light exposure, among other elements.

Since 2008, Esquel has been collaborating with the Kunming Institute of Botany (KIB) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) to revitalize the plant-based dyes and industrialize its production. Together with botanical experts, we aim to build the country’s very first natural dye botanic garden, dedicated to related R&D with the goal of producing high-quality natural dyes at a large scale. 

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