Ever Dye

Textile dyeing is one of the most polluting steps in the fashion supply chain. Most dyes are derived from fossil fuels and optimized for performance and cost. Globally, dyehouses use trillions of liters of water annually and account for 20% of all industrial water pollution. On a commercial scale, dyeing relies on hot water baths with chemical fixatives, a process that requires a lot of energy and water. Alternatives exist but can be hard to implement: natural dyes are less toxic but can wash out quickly, and newer, waterless methods require specialized equipment. The industry needs a method that is both sustainable and scalable, says Philippe Berlan, CEO of the sustainable pigment start-up Ever Dye. “We will always have the need to produce garments, so at least we need to find a solution to produce them in a clean way,” Berlan says. That gap is what Ever Dye, founded in 2021, aims to fill. The idea began in Amira Erokh’s PhD lab at the University of Sfax, where she developed a pigment-based technology for coloring fabrics and eliminating the need for dyes. Through an entrepreneurship program, Erokh partnered with engineer Ilan Palacci to turn the idea into a business. The pair engineered a new class of biobased pigments that cling to fibers without heat. Palacci left in 2024, and Berlan came on board as CEO to guide the French company toward commercialization.Pigments are uncommon in the textile industry because, unlike dyes, they are insoluble in water and need a binder