MAS subsidiary’s 100% natural dye solution receives Control Union certification

Panel discussing sustainability potential of Planetones on apparel industry. From left: Noyon Lanka DGM Innovation Manjula Jayawardena, Noyon Lanka CEO and FAAMA Secretary Ashiq Lafir, MAS Holdings CEO Suren Fernando and Noyon Lanka GM Sales and Marketing Sunesh Rodrigo

With a commitment to practising responsible use of chemicals within its value chain, Noyon Lanka (Pvt.) Ltd (Noyon) has introduced ‘Planetones’, a 100 percent 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 percent 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 percent and 15 percent, 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 percent to 95 percent 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 percent - 95 percent. 

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.