Vollebak has used a waste product from algae processing, supplied by Living Ink, a US company that is seeking to develop a full spectrum of colours. 

The algae is grown in open-air ponds feeding on sunlight, carbon dioxide, water and nutrients. Most of the algae is used to make natural food colourings, but the remainder is harvested and used as the base for black algae ink.

Vollebak said: “The way carbon black is made isn’t sustainable. Vast tracts of land called tar sands are stripped of all life and vegetation to extract the heavy petroleum, while the production process creates significant greenhouse gases. Our aim is to reinvent the way in which the colour itself is made. And it all starts with the first t shirt made with black algae.”

The t-shirt’s beige fabric is derived from tree pulp and is printed with black algae ink (as it is not available in a dye). The material has been treated with a softener made from mangoes, and will biodegrade in about 12 weeks in soil, according to Vollebak.

Vollebak launched a green t-shirt dyed with algae ink in summer 2019.

We look at this topic in greater depth in the next issue of WSA.