The co-developed manual details how to use EcoFast Pure, a cationic cotton treatment developed by Dow, with existing dyeing equipment. 

Ralph Lauren partnered Dow to optimise the technology in its cotton dyeing operations as part of its new Color on Demand platform. 

By 2025, the brand aims to use the Color on Demand platform to dye more than 80% of its solid cotton products.

Pretreating fabric with EcoFast Pure helps significantly reduce the amount of water, chemicals and energy needed to colour cotton, said the companies.

Mary Draves, chief sustainability officer at Dow, said: “As fashion supply chains look to recover from impacts of the pandemic, there is a critical window to build more sustainable practices into production processes.

 

“By collaborating to scale a less resource-intensive dyeing process, we can help address pressing challenges, like climate change and water resiliency, in the long-term.”