Srinagar, Nov 2: The Kashmir carpet industry may soon shift to the use of natural vegetable dyes from the present chemical dyes.
 Even as the chemical dyes are being used world over to dye the raw material used in the carpets, given the changing buyer mood with markets endeavouring to go green, the Indian Institute of Carpet Technology here is working on a plan to provide “green dying” facility to the carpet weavers.
 To discourage the use of chemical dyes, the IICT has already developed some 30 shades by using different natural ingredients. Some of the ingredients have been procured from outside the state.
 Under its research and development programme, the institute for past four months has been exploring the possibility of introducing natural dyes for silk and woollen yarn used in the carpets.
 The step has been necessitated by the new market trends where demand for green products has increased.
 “To be successful and to achieve growth in carpet export you have to have an eye on the international market and see what it demands,” said Zubair Ahmad Mir, director IICT.
 He said the buyers outside were demanding products in which natural vegetable dyes are being used.
 “Nowadays everybody wants the products to be eco-friendly. In fact at some places outside, the chemical dyes have been banned,” he said.
 He said keeping this in view they were working on it for past some months. The director IICT said so far nobody had worked on this concept in the Valley.
 To begin with, the institute obtained a lot of samples of natural dyes in the powder form from leading natural dye manufacturers from other parts of the country.
 “Here we are using vegetable dyes that are available outside as all the required ingredients are not available with us. We have only a few of them available here, like walnut and pomegranate peels and saffron, which are not enough to give all shades,” Mir said.
 So far 30 shades have been developed with natural dyes on silk yarn at the institute, he said.
 The institute, he said, had got a positive response from the industry and was developing Pashmina and woollen yarn with natural dyes for the people related to the handicrafts sector.
 About the cost he said it was expected that facility of dyeing with natural dyes would be available within a cost of Rs 100 to 250 per kg.
 “We are taking a lot of trails and recommendations to see how to reduce its cost. We will soon be able to provide this facility to the carpet industry on nominal charges, which will be less than Rs 200 per kg,” said Mir.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 2 Nov 2009 21:30:00 Makkah time
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