Natural Dyeing
Avani’s work with natural dyes involved extensive experiments with locally available plant materials for their dye yielding properties. Avani’s discovery of the natural dye potential of Eupatorium, a highly invasive species – third most in South Asia – that destroys forests was a happy accident. The leaves of Eupatorium, when correctly processed, produce shades of green that are being used for textile dyeing and creating pigments and natural printing pastes. Avani has incentivised the collection of Eupatorium by local people, thus creating opportunities for income generation that simultaneously results in conservation and preservation of local biodiversity.
In line with Avani’s vision of localising the raw material supply chain, Avani decided to grow Indigo locally and initiated the Himalayan Indigo Project in 2010. At the beginning, the textile and natural dye program facilitated the cultivation of Indigofera Tinctoria to the farmers in the region.
Thereafter, in order to adapt to the unique conditions of working in the villages, we also introduced two other altitude-specific varieties of indigo – Strobilanthes Cusia (Assam indigo), and Polygonum Tinctorium (Japanese indigo). Additionally, Avani also did considerable work in appropriating the entire process to the region’s resources and conditions. Over the course of time, the dyeing team has also made significant improvements to their indigo extraction process, resulting in a higher pigment throughput.
Holistically the textile and natural dye program has helped revive the traditional skill as well as had notable environmental impacts including the reclamation of wastelands, regeneration of forests and preservation of local resources. Today Avani’s intervention to use locally available natural resources as raw material for the production of natural dyes has promoted the protection of several species of plants and the systematic cultivation of many as well. It has also restored the soil health and prevented pollution of water bodies by the use of synthetically produced dyes. Avani experimented with over 50 indigenous species of plants to create a palette of 30 colours and shades. Natural dye pigments have been used to create non-toxic watercolours and crayons, wood stains, printing paste and textile dye. Plant-based colourants have been used to create non-toxic finished products, giving a green alternative to consumers.
Process of Production
Avani’s work with textiles has evolved through a continuous dialogue with the local communities and remains responsive to their needs. Avani is dedicated to providing fair wages for all contributing artisans and farmers, empowering women to negotiate for their livelihoods and creating an opportunity for the rural communities to make a living from sustainable and local opportunities. Avani works primarily with skilling and upskilling socially vulnerable women and girls to help supplement their family incomes through hand spinning, hand knitting, hand weaving, dye material collection, and pine needle collection.
Over the years, many people have been trained as artisans, and existing artisans have refined their craft through additional training. The artisans have been so successful that they are now organised as a self-reliant cooperative organisation called Earthcraft.
Avani also believes that the process of production is as important as the product itself. While strengthening grassroots systems, this process is also non-polluting and has a low carbon footprint. As both water and energy are scarce resources in the area, Avani implemented systems to conserve both. Using clean energy like solar energy and electricity from pine needle gasification, produced through Avani’s bio-energy program and water collected through rainwater harvesting and wastewater recycling within the main campus of Avani in Tripuradevi. Solar water heaters and solar dryers that are used for preheating water for dyeing and drying of dye materials respectively.