IKEA GreenTech AB — a venture capital division of IKEA Group, Sweden — has invested in the
Netherlands-based DyeCoo Textile Systems BV to support DyeCoo’s waterless textile dyeing
technology.
DyeCoo’s supercritical fluid carbon dioxide (SCF CO2) dyeing technology uses recycled CO2
instead of water and requires neither auxiliary chemicals nor a drying process. Its current
technology is used to dye polyester fabrics. The partnership with IKEA GreenTech not only will help
DyeCoo ramp up the polyester dyeing system but also will help it accelerate the development of
cotton-dyeing processes and machinery.
“IKEA strives to have a positive impact on people and the planet,” said Steve Howard, chief
sustainability officer, IKEA Group. “By helping to scale the DyeCoo system for use with larger
production volumes, we could help to make a big difference for the environment as well as workers
and communities around textile facilities.”
Beaverton, Ore.-based apparel and footwear company Nike Inc.’s strategic partnerships group
worked alongside IKEA GreenTech throughout the investment process. In 2012, Nike invested in
DyeCoo’s technology to produce a line of apparel for elite athletes, with an idea of eventually
using it to dye a much larger segment of its products.
May/June 2013
