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Natural Indigo Dyes: A Potential Dye for Sustainability

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Natural Dyes and Sustainability

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Abstract

Recently, the use of denim garments has increased in India due to their excellent color fastness. The indigo plant was a very important dye historically, but it was later replaced by synthetic indigo dyes. Many synthetic dyes exert carcinogenic and allergic effects to humans. Most vat dyes are not biodegradable; they accumulate on lands and water bodies, causing ecological problems. In recent years, natural indigo has been recognized for its artistic value and reduced environmental impact. Although production of this dye presents several disadvantages, the use of exogenous enzymes in its production could lead to a new and sustainable methodology. Knowledge about indigo culture thrived greatly among peasant traditions in India. There are various ways through which indigo dyes could be sustainably extracted compared with vat indigo dyes. Isatis tinctoria (medieval indigo dye) and Indigofera tinctoria are few plants from which these dyes are extracted and are renewable. Valorization of waste generated from the extraction process of Indigofera tinctoria is possible. This dye is mainly used in denim jeans; smaller quantities of this dye are also used in dyeing wool and silk. Natural indigo dyes are highly sustainable with minimal adverse effects on the environment. The scope of usage of indigo dye is going to be very large as most of the people now are aware of sustainability to make a better future to live in and more works are being carried out using these dyes. This chapter will discuss in detail about natural indigo dyes and their effect on sustainability along with their applications.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Fashion Technology, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India

    R. Surjit, H. Shanruthi, V. Sruthi & K. S. Tarunvalavan

Authors
  1. R. Surjit
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  2. H. Shanruthi
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  3. V. Sruthi
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  4. K. S. Tarunvalavan
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Correspondence to R. Surjit .

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  1. Chief Sustainability Officer, Green Story Inc., Kowloon, Hong Kong

    Subramanian Senthilkannan Muthu

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Surjit, R., Shanruthi, H., Sruthi, V., Tarunvalavan, K.S. (2023). Natural Indigo Dyes: A Potential Dye for Sustainability. In: Muthu, S.S. (eds) Natural Dyes and Sustainability. Sustainable Textiles: Production, Processing, Manufacturing & Chemistry. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-47471-2_9

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