A new blend could make polypropylene easier to dye

Polypropylene can be made into textile fibres. According to materials companies Newlight Technologies and Japan-based Prime Polymer, its limited ability to take up dye has held back wider use in coloured clothing and footwear. They say they have developed a blend that can be coloured using the dyes already used for polyester. PR Newswire (via Morningstar) (source, opens in new tab)

The blend combines polypropylene with Aircarbon, Newlight’s name for a plastic called PHB, which it produces using microorganisms. According to the companies, the blend can take up conventional disperse dyes—the type used to colour polyester—with dyeability comparable to that of polyester itself. Newlight Technologies (source, opens in new tab)

The companies say they have turned pellets of the blend into yarn and both knitted and woven fabrics. They also report that global brands are evaluating it for footwear, performance apparel, socks and technical textiles.

The announcement provides no quantitative test results, and no independent data were available to confirm dyeing performance, durability or production at commercial scale. Brand evaluations do not yet establish that products have launched or that the material has been commercially adopted.

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