Collaborations & Services

Materia Botanica is a textile research project that transforms plant-based waste from agriculture and the food industry into natural pigments for textile dyeing.

The project began in 2023 through a textile research and innovation grant mentored by Aitex. During this pilot project, different plant materials that are conventionally underutilized were studied, exploring their potential as dye resources for the development of natural pigments applied to textile dyeing.

Materia Botanica emerged from a concern about the impact of current dyeing systems within the textile industry. Textile production, particularly through dyeing and finishing processes, is responsible for a significant share of global water pollution. These processes require large volumes of water and the intensive use of chemical compounds that, once released, are difficult to fully remove from industrial effluents. It is estimated that between 10% and 15% of dyes used during production are lost in the process, amounting to around 200,000 tonnes of dyes discharged into water every year (Xicota, 2015). This is compounded by the complexity of a globalized and often opaque supply chain, where the management of chemical waste is not always effectively controlled and much of the environmental impact is displaced to the regions where manufacturing takes place.

Many of the dyes currently used are derived from non-renewable fossil resources and may contain persistent, toxic, or bioaccumulative substances that affect aquatic ecosystems and the communities connected to them. The impact of these compounds is not limited to the moment of production; it accompanies the garment throughout its life cycle, from manufacturing to use and washing. This is why plant dyed garments offer a safer, more sustainable alternative for both people and the environment.