Page 20 - Basic Principles of Textile Coloration

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 9

We often forget that the development of fibres of regenerated or modified
cellulose, and much of dyeing technology, occurred with little understanding of
the molecular nature of fibres. The idea of a polymer molecule was not accepted
before 1925. The work of Staudinger, Mark, Carothers and others, eventually
confirmed that fibres consist of bundles of long, linear molecules of very high
molecular weight. Without this scientific advance, the production of the fully
artificially made fibres such as nylon (1938) and polyester (1945) might have been
impeded. Today, thanks to advances in polymer chemistry and engineering, there
are a variety of artificially made fibre types to meet the demand of a growing world
population. They account for almost half of total fibre consumption.

During most of the twentieth century, almost all the major developments in the
dyestuff and coloration industries originated in Western Europe, predominantly in
Germany, Switzerland and Britain. Then, over the last two decades of the
twentieth century, a massive global reorganisation took place and the European
suppliers of dyestuffs and of dyed or printed materials were seriously threatened as
manufacturers in developing countries became much more competitive. A number
of factors contributed to this continuing trend:
(1) the rapid industrial development of many developing countries and the global

availability of technology and machinery for textile manufacture and
coloration; countries such as Japan, India, China and Korea have become
major players on the textile stage.
(2) much more restrictive legislation in Europe and North America for dyestuff
manufacture and use with minimum impact on health and the environment;
this has become a key issue in the future of the colorant and textile industries
in the developed nations of the Western block.
(3) the majority of chemicals and processes presently in use were introduced
prior to 1975 and their originators have no further patent protection; the
perceived low probability of developing new types of textile fibres and dyes
has considerably limited fundamental research in these areas.

One effect of these influences has been a drastic rationalisation of the dyestuff
industry in Western Europe. Some dyestuff divisions separated from their parent
company (Zeneca from ICI in Britain, and Clariant from Sandoz in Switzerland).
In other cases, dyestuff producers have merged: Ciba merged with Geigy in
Switzerland and may yet absorb Clariant; Hoechst and Bayer joined forces as
DyStar in Germany; and BASF bought Zeneca. More recently, Yorkshire
Chemicals has bought Crompton and Knowles, the major American dye