Canada's Mitacs to award innovator Iris Redinger for all-natural dyes

In recognition of her efforts to advance the first-of-its-kind bio-colour platform through her start-up company, Waterloo-based Material Futures, Redinger — a Mitacs intern who earned her bachelor of architecture at Waterloo University last year — will be presented the Mitacs Environmental Entrepreneur Award on June 2 at a ceremony in Montreal.

“I’ve always had a passion for the fashion industry,” said Redinger, who learned to sew at a young age and, as a co-op student during her first year studying architecture, had the opportunity to work with Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen on the renowned dome dress, shown at Paris Fashion Week in 2017 and now part of the Royal Ontario Museum’s collection.

“Dyeing clothing is one of the biggest environmental challenges in the fashion industry,” Redinger explained. “Historically, we used plants to colour textiles, but now we use chemical processes derived from harmful petroleum products. With recent developments in synthetic biology, now is the right time to return to nature as a source for colour.”  

To pursue her idea, Redinger founded Material Futures in 2018, hiring researchers to help develop her method, which is patent pending. After identifying microorganisms that naturally produce colour, she applies genetic engineering techniques to make it their primary function. The end products are fully biodegradable colourants that can be easily substituted into existing manufacturing processes, the company said in a press release.

“Many countries that dye textiles don’t do a good job of treating their wastewater, which is problematic because people often drink, bathe, and swim in this water,” Redinger said. “One solution is to develop dyestuffs that don’t require water to be used in the colouring process, but that approach will require costly new equipment, new factories and new infrastructure. By applying green chemistry and natural elements, we’re working to create a more environmentally conscious and sustainable fashion world.”  

Redinger’s focus is now on growing her solution, which has been proven at the lab scale. The technology has gone through rigorous performance and feasibility testing to ensure the naturally-dyed textiles stand up to repeated washing without fading and meet other thresholds for industry-grade fabrics.

Redinger is one of five winners of the Mitacs Entrepreneur Award who are being recognised for their efforts to turn their research into innovative businesses that impact the lives of Canadians. 

“Mitacs enabled me to explore my business idea at an early stage, which has acted as an invaluable springboard to the next phase of pre-commercialization of the technology,” Redinger said. 

“Mitacs is committed to helping up-and-coming innovators through their entrepreneurial journey, and we’re extremely proud of the remarkable accomplishments of each of this year’s award winners,” said Mitacs CEO John Hepburn, adding that 20 per cent of Mitacs interns successfully turn their innovations into startups. “The success of our country’s entrepreneurs in commercialising ground-breaking innovations not only goes a long way in boosting Canada’s economic future, but also helps put Canada on the map as a research and innovation leader.”