Brightly coloured baby clothes and dyes

Most people love brightly coloured clothes particularly for babies and children, But have you ever stopped to think about what it is that makes these clothes such bright colours and if there are any safety or environmental implications?

Some dyes used in clothing manufacture contain chemicals that can be damaging to aquatic flora and fauna. A large amount of water is used to remove the dyes from clothes and often, especially in developing countries, this water ends up in the water systems and drinking water. These chemicals can also act as irritants when worn against the skin in clothes causing rashes and other symptoms.

There are a number of alternatives to the toxic dyes traditionally used in clothing manufacture. For bright colour fast colours, fibre reactive dyes are a safe and eco friendly alternative. They are synthetic dyes that chemically bond directly to the clothes fibre molecules. The fixation rate of these dyes is up to 70% so less water is required. They also do not contain heavy metals or toxic chemicals.

Many organic certifications including GOTS and control Union allow the use of fibre reactive dyes.