DAEJEON – Scientists in South Korea say they have found a way to dye textiles more sustainably by bioengineering bacteria to produce large amounts of indigo dye without the use of toxic chemicals.
Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in the city of Daejeon injected DNA into a type of bacterium, corynebacterium glutamicum, that produces the building blocks of the blue dye, indigoidine.
Their study, published in the peer-reviewed ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering journal, points out that the textile industry has caused severe water pollution by using toxic chemicals to produce fabric dyes.
Already have an account? Log In
Recommended
Most Popular
Latest Magazine
Features
Why the EU’s regulatory push for longer-lasting clothes could enrich the wrong industry.
Textile dye recovery is technically real, but experts warn that it risks becoming a costly sideshow.
When profits wobble, fashion brands default on climate, pushing self-issued net-zero targets over the horizon.
News
A new evidence-based review challenges assumptions over organic cotton’s growth.
EU anti-fraud investigators help block the illegal export and dumping of thousands of tonnes of textiles.
SBTi’s new net-zero standard tightens rules on fashion’s climate claims
Opinion
Exclusive: Uzbek cotton cluster boss hails big reforms as human rights campaigners claim exploitation
Other publications from MCL News & Media
