An approach to sustainable coloration of lyocell fabrics by screen printing using extracts of leaves and bark from eucalyptus

This paper presents an initial study from a more extensive programme of research at the design/technology interface that is focused on the use of design methodology as a means to lower the environmental impact of fashion clothing. The leaves and bark that are byproducts of the responsibly farmed eucalyptus used in the manufacture of lyocell fibres were extracted with water to provide a source of natural colour. Lyocell fabric, which required minimal preparation, was screen printed with an aqueous paste containing only the extracted colour and a natural thickener to provide attractive golden-yellow prints. The printed fabrics demonstrated surprisingly good fastness towards light, washing and rubbing. A mordanting pretreatment of the lyocell with alum modified the colour of the naturally coloured prints to become stronger and duller, but provided no advantage in terms of technical performance. The outcome presents a potentially useful model for the development of sustainably coloured fashion textile products.