Planetones, 100% natural dye solution by Noyon Lanka, receives Control Union Certification

Displaying a lace product coloured with Noyon’s natural dyes 

• Elevates Sri Lanka’s standing as a sustainable apparel sourcing destination 
• First to receive Eco Dye Standard certificate 

With a commitment to practising responsible use of chemicals within their value chain, Noyon Lanka Ltd. (Noyon) has introduced ‘Planetones’, a 100% natural dye solution for lace, the first of its kind to be certified by the Control Union. 

Noyon’s ‘Planetones’ natural dye solution, which has already been commercialised with two leading European fashion brands, offers a broad colour palette of 32 shades, extending beyond the neutral hues commonly seen in natural dye solutions and uses natural colour sources such as cranberry and achiote. 

In addition to the Control Union certification, known as the ‘Eco Dye Standard,’ the natural dye solution also complies with standards set by the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL) Level 1. It is noteworthy that Noyon is the first organisation to receive the Eco Dye Standard certification from the Control Union.

Noyon Lanka is a subsidiary of MAS Holdings and was formed in 2003. Commenting on this solution, Noyon Chief Executive Officer Ashiq Lafir stated: “By leveraging our advanced research and development and technology capabilities, Noyon has developed several innovative and sustainable solutions that have the potential to reduce the environmental footprint of our products, while fulfilling all key performance and quality parameters of our customers. 

“This latest solution is an important milestone in this journey – one which we hope will also elevate Sri Lanka’s standing as a sustainable apparel manufacturing destination. Our efforts are focused towards producing a garment that is coloured only using natural dye in the near future.”

Colouration has long been known as a process that is resource intensive, with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimating that the dyeing and treatment of fabric generate as much as 20% of wastewater worldwide. 

Compared with a synthetic dye, reducing a washing cycle in the natural dyeing process of ‘Planetones’ provides an estimated water and energy saving of approximately 30% and 15%, respectively. The biodegradable nature of the natural components also means that the chemical load to effluent is significantly reduced, further expanding its sustainability offering.  

The ‘Planetones’ natural dye solution achieves these gains in sustainability while maintaining critical performance and quality parameters, with an 85% to 95% colour match – a significant figure for natural dyes since no two natural sources (such as two fruits of the same type) are identical. 

In terms of colourfastness – a fabric’s resistance to change in its colour characteristics or the transfer of colourants to adjacent materials – the solution scores 2.5 – 3.5 to light and 3.5 to other materials. Similarly, colour repeatability between batches also scores high, at 90-95%. 

‘Planetones’ and its intellectual property (IP) will also be extended to other supply chain partners in Sri Lanka, enabling them to offer certified naturally dyed elastics, fabric and other accessories.

The development of the natural dye solution is part of Noyon’s overall commitment to sustainability, which is seen in its existing suite of eco-offerings, such as biodegradable and recycled material, including material made using recycled polyethene terephthalate (PET) bottles.

Furthermore, compared with levels in 2019, Noyon reduced its absolute emissions by 8.4 percent in 2021 and seeks to reduce a further 12.6 percent in 2022. The company currently engages in value enhancement of 50% of its non-hazardous waste, supporting circularity and reuse. 100% of the dyes and chemicals used by the company are Bluesign-approved. 

With the launch of ‘Planetones’, Noyon partnered with the Galle Wildlife Conservation Society for a community-based conservation project identifying ‘new to science’ species within the Sinharaja Forest. Noyon aims to create a sustainable line of natural dye colours named after each newly identified species and will donate 1% of all revenue generated through the natural dye solution towards this cause.