Silverstick uses low-impact dyes that do not contain harmful substances. The main elements that are prohibited are heavy metals, ammonia treatment, azo dyes, bleaches, chlorine, phthalates and formaldehyde. Both our dyes and dye houses are certified to be non toxic by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and Oeko-Tex.

There is also strict guidance on wastewater treatment stipulating how water used in the dying process must be treated before being returned to the waterways. Water is used to fix the dye in the dye bath and also to wash off excess dye at the end of the process. If this wastewater is untreated it can cause pollution even if it does not contain toxins as it can be warmer or have a different pH to the water it is being released into.

Our dye house is very close to our factory to reduce transport carbon emissions. And we are lucky that we use high quality Aegean cotton as this has a superior propensity for colour preservation. Thanks to this remarkable attribute, garments made from this organic cotton are brighter and more vibrant, and as a result, less dye and energy consumption is required during the dyeing process.

After being dyed, every Silverstick fabric is tested for colour accuracy, softness and colourfastness. This improves the life-cycle of each garment. Although we plan for a certain amount of garments on each dye run, we may receive slightly too many or too few. Again, to save any fabric wastage we will always take slightly less or more than we originally planned.