InsideOutdoor | SUMMER 2022 34 Ingredients Moonlight Unveils 100% Plant-Based and Natural Black Dyes This summer, Moonlight Technologies announced a major breakthrough with the launch of 100 percent plant-based and natural black dyes. The announcement comes months after Moonlight Technologies first announced the launch of its five new, sustainable, plant-based technologies, including a range of natural dyes. “This is a major breakthrough for us as well as other businesses and consumers who are passionate about sustainability and interested in adopting natural dyes,” said Allie Sutton, CEO of Moonlight Technologies. “Until now, most natural dyes only offered a limited color range and no black colors, so if you wanted black, you needed to resort to unnatural, synthetic dyes, which in many cases are not environmentally friendly.” Humans are exposed to the synthetic chemicals of unnatural dyes through the air, skin and water, and even through eating exposed fish and plants. Because most synthetic dyes are not biodegradable, the dying process may discharge many harmful chemicals through the release of polluted water, which can result in the death of aquatic life, the ruining of soils and the poisoning of drinking water. While priced competitively to other synthetic powdered dyes, these plantbased and natural black dyes are sustainably derived, non-toxic, biodegradable and can be applied to any fabric type – both synthetic and natural – via standard manufacturing processes. The newly released 3MSpecified Water Repellent Greige is specially crafted for the development of durable, moisture-managing fabrics. It allows apparel manufacturers to create dual-action waterrepellent/moisture-wicking activewear and flyknit shoes that can perform in demanding outdoor settings, said 3M. Pretreated with Scotchgard Protector, 3M’s DWR, this inherently repellent yarn brings greater efficiency to fabric manufacturing and dyeing processes when compared to padding on repellent, said the company. 3M in-house testing indicate it can save time and cost on production, increase throughput, minimize water and chemical waste on fabric, reduce chalk mark complaints, deliver uniform color treatment and eliminate the need for wet finishes on fabric. “With this new yarn, we’re helping mills overcome common challenges they face with regard to inconsistent treatment, namely investing extensive time and money in finding the right recipes for formulas for each fabric,” said Robert Polik, senior application engineer at 3M. “Since conditions can differ from batch to batch, the mills typically obtain unstable outputs, but our treated yarn solves for this problem by simplifying the process and, in turn, providing greater ease and efficiency to fabric manufacturing.” When held to the testing standards of the AATCC (American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists) and the ISO (International Organization for Standardization), 3M-Specified Water Repellent Greige Yarn received among the highest possible ratings for spray testing, anti-wicking and flex-durability. As PFAS bans accelerate across dozens of states and in several European countries, Green Theme Technologies has been able to exceed current performance standards while eliminating PFAS from footwear production. Most recently, its EMPEL platform is redefining the standard in PFAS-free anti-wicking technologies, said the company. “Green Theme Technology is at the forefront of apparel, footwear and textile innovation, not just because they are utilizing better chemistry but because of how they are applying it,” said John Frazier, senior technical director with the Hohenstein Institute. Recently tested and certified as PFAS-free by Bureau Veritas, EMPEL uses no “forever chemicals” in its chemistry yet still achieves among the highest levels of water repellent and anti-wicking fabric protection available, said GTT. EMPEL is applied using a waterless and PFAS-free technology that drives the chemistry into the fabric, increasing the performance and durability. GTT’s EMPEL also has worked with Hohenstein to attain OEKO-TEX ECO PASSPORT certification. GTT is currently working with several global footwear brands in the sport and outdoor markets that are seeking superior anti-wicking, stain protection and sustainable performance, and the anti-wicking technology is expected to be available to the public in 2023. 3M Introduces Water Repellent Greige Yarn PFAS-Free Anti-wicking for Footwear
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