TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Rorica Textile Co. unveiled a breakthrough waterless dyeing technology at the Texworld Apparel Sourcing exhibition in Paris, offering a scalable solution to one of the textile industry’s most persistent pollution problems.

The company’s supercritical fluid dyeing process replaces water with carbon dioxide, enabling mass production across a wide range of fabrics, including leather. Rorica Chair Hsieh Hsiao-hui (謝曉慧) said the method represents a significant step toward sustainable manufacturing by eliminating wastewater, chemical auxiliaries, and drying while allowing CO2 to be recycled, according to CNA.

Hsieh explained that when carbon dioxide reaches a supercritical state, where it exhibits both gas and liquid properties, it combines the high solubility of a liquid with the high permeability of a gas. This allows dyes to fully dissolve and penetrate fibers.

Attempts at waterless dyeing emerged in Germany and the Netherlands more than a decade ago but failed to scale. Rorica completed its own development last year in Taiwan and is now ready to commercialize the technology.

Texworld, held Monday to Wednesday, drew over 1,300 exhibitors from 35 countries. Taiwan ranked among the top five supplier nations, represented by 12 textile firms specializing in functional fabrics, knits, silks, embroidery, and lace, plus one garment manufacturer.