(May 19, 2012) Global materials resource and innovation consultancy Material ConneXion, announced the winner of its third annual MEDIUM Award for Material of the Year on the opening day of the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) held at the Javits Center in New York City. This year the respected authority is awarding its top prize to a process. The Netherlands-based DyeCoo Textile Systems B.V. is being recognized for the development of a revolutionary commercial dyeing machine technology. According to the jury, its ability to use supercritical CO2 as a replacement for water is an innovation that will make enormous contributions in terms of reducing energy consumption, environmental pollution and pioneering water stewardship.

"DyeCoo's new process has the potential to significantly lower the environmental impact of dyeing. The elimination of process-water and chemicals are a breakthrough for the textile dyeing industry. Combine that with the reduction in energy use, and the process is twice as fast. The technology can also improve the quality of the dyed fabric, allows for greater control over the dyeing process, enabling new dye capabilities and transforming fabric dyeing so that it can take place just about anywhere," says Dr. Andrew H. Dent, VP Materials Research at Material ConneXion. "We chose DyeCoo as the winner of this year's award because it embodies the direction that materials and processes are taking: sustainability and high performance."

blog post photo
courtesy Material ConneXion