Zeefier

Why is dyeing with seaweed better for the sea and for our health?

Nienke: "Seaweed is a really fascinating material. Firstly, it's a natural product, so it doesn't pollute wastewater, and it's healthier for us. Unlike other natural crops you can dye with, seaweed doesn't need farmland or fresh water to grow. Therefore, it does not compete with scarce land for food production. 

It also plays an active role in reducing greenhouse gases by absorbing carbon dioxide from both water and the air through photosynthesis, helping to combat climate change. 

Anne: "What makes seaweed extra special is its rapid growth rate. Within a few months, it can already be harvested and start growing again. Up to 150 tons of seaweed can be grown on one hectare, equivalent to an uptake of around 15 tons of carbon dioxide. This makes growing seaweed a more efficient method of carbon storage than, for example, planting trees."  

Nienke: "We also find it exceptionally fascinating that seaweed contributes to water purification. During photosynthesis, it produces oxygen, which is good for the marine ecosystem. And it absorbs nitrogen, which prevents excessive algal growth. Algae actually reduce oxygen levels in the water and can therefore smother marine life. 

In addition, seaweed can bind heavy metals and other pollutants, making it a great tool for cleaning polluted water. Think, for example, of seaweed plantations or seaweed farms where rivers flow into the sea."

You like to think big. Can the industry already work with your paint?

Anne: "Yes, we're already able to manufacture our paint on an industrial scale. The challenge was to translate artisanal techniques into an industrial process. That meant not only finding the right way to make paint from seaweed, but also meeting the industry's strict quality requirements, such as lightfastness and wash resistance. We're incredibly proud that this has now been achieved." 

Nienke: "When I started, I would collect seaweed from the beach myself and experiment with it in my studio, making small amounts of paint. I used techniques similar to dyeing with onions or coffee. It was always a surprise what color I'd end up with. That worked well for small-scale art projects, but I realized that I could never make a product with real impact this way." 

Anne: "We needed a professional lab and more chemistry expertise. This is when we started working at the Blue City Lab in Rotterdam, an incubator for the development of sustainable innovations. We learned a lot there. But because we wanted to work on something that could later be patented, we moved to an independent lab in Zeeland, where our colleague and chemist Dorien  is working on our dyeing process." 

You supply dye houses. What products do they paint with your paint?

Anne: "We had a carpet dyed for display at the Dutch Design Week. There will soon be a commercial version of that carpet for sale. We have also entered into some inspiring collaborations, for which products are now being developed. We are, for example, working with bed manufacturer Auping and clothing brand The Knitwit Stable, who make beautiful clothes from Dutch wool. Their hats dyed with our paint will soon be for sale on their website!" 

Nienke: And we're collaborating with various Portuguese companies. We're working on cotton products with them, including T-shirts. It's an exciting period. 

Those are high-profile partners. What are the costs for companies that want to work with your paint?

Anne: "Our paint is the same price as other natural paints and about ten percent more expensive than synthetic paint. In other words, the price difference is quite small—especially once you factor in the ecological and social cost of synthetic paint." 

Nienke: "Despite the fact that we can now supply colors at an industrial quality level, there is still a difference in mindset. We obviously continuously test and refine our paints to serve the market, but companies also need to learn that using sustainable materials sometimes requires a different approach. The textile industry is quite conservative. They have been working with synthetic dye for decades and know exactly what to expect from it. They would like us to reach the same numbers with natural paint, which is not always realistic." 

We need more companies like Auping, who think differently and are willing to pioneer our solution. Partners who are willing to consider, for example, an offer of fewer but more valuable products, and who want to create awareness and help spread a new vision of color." 

"A new vision of color," you say. Can you use seaweed to make all colors?

Nienke: "Beautiful colors are important. As a designer, I have learned that you can really touch people with them. Our paint has a color palette that you can't reproduce with synthetic paint. They are natural, deep colors with subtle nuances, a kind of life and depth that you only get by working with pigments from seaweed. That's what makes them so special." 

Anne: "We're now working with beige, brown, green, and orange tones. These are also the colors most commonly used in industry. Ultimately, we're about changing a system. At present, the number of colors we can produce is more limited than with synthetic paints. We may never be able to make some colors. That's fine with us. At the end of the day, what matters is that we do what we do the right way. We want to get people interested in our story through our colors."