AirDye Solutions Nominated for 2011 World Technology Award in Environment
AirDye Solutions, the New York–based technology company known for creating dye techniques that don’t require water, has been nominated for the 2011 World Technology Award in Environment. The award winners are being announced during the World Technology Summit Oct. 25–26.
“It’s an honor because it’s a peer-nominated award,” Paul Raybin, chief sustainability and marketing officer for AirDye Solutions, said. “We’re really honored that our colleagues are recognizing our work in this way. We also hope to increase awareness of the global scarcity crisis [of water] becoming worse. We hope that it will encourage the textile industry to act.”
The textile industry is one of the largest water consumers in the world and also one of the largest polluters, Raybin said. This is why the company wants to focus on reducing water consumption and pollution.
AirDye creates print and dye synthetic technologies without using water by using a patented mechanical device and disperse dyes that sublimate synthetic blends, such as nylon and cotton or polyester.
“We could take an industry that’s enormously water intensive, and we can help it reduce its water consumption so that water can be used toward other things, like agriculture and human consumption,” Raybin said.
In addition to AirDye technology eliminating water from the process, it also enables new decorative techniques, such as dyeing fabrics different colors on both sides, or printing on one side and using solid color on the other, Raybin said. The fabric provides interesting looks and improves drapability and also helps reduce material usage by eliminating lining from fabrics, he added.
Designers such as Costello Tagliapietra and Argenti have been using AirDye in their collections for several seasons.
“We’re increasingly starting to have to make real choices as to who’s going to get the water,” Raybin said. “Water is for living, not for dyeing.”—Deidre Crawford
