AT the flag-raising ceremony at the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) compound in Bicutan, Taguig City, Science Secretary Estrella Alabastro was wearing a tailor-made dress with natural dyes.

Made of ramie-linen fabric, her pink and gray ensemble features two technologies the Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI) developed and commercialized. Her pink embroidered blouse is dyed with young coconut husks while the gray skirt was a product of the modification done on mahogany barks, which normally yield the reddish-brown hue.

The same dress has graced the centerpiece of the recently concluded Sixth National Coconut Week Celebration, where the textile dye extracted from young coconut husks rightfully gained the spotlight. The pink shade proves to be a stable color and does not show any form of discoloration in varying pH conditions. 

With proper hand washing and avoidance of extremely harsh detergent solutions, the fabric can sustain its color and feel.

The development of the extraction- and textile-application technology using young coconut husks is inspired by the abundant raw material. It is considered completely as waste material after obtaining the meat or juice. The magnitude of the raw-material base is tremendously huge. Of the 12 million hectares of farmlands in the Philippines, about 3.1 million hectares are devoted to coconut, with 324 million coconut trees and supporting 25 million Filipinos.

The extension of the prospects for young coconut husks as textile dye could further extend the already widespread industry. The jobs it can create from textile dyeing alone will be huge enough, not discounting its impact on the reduction and processing of what is an agro-industrial waste.

The mahogany barks used for the Secretary Alabastro’s dress were sourced from trees inside the DOST compound in Bicutan which fell at the height of the 2006 Typhoon Milenyo.

The dress worn by Secretary Alabastro is part of the intensive promotional activities of PTRI on the use of natural dyes for office wear and as its own share in the global call for environment consciousness. For 4,000 employees of DOST alone clothed with an estimated 32,000 yards of fabric with four distinct shades for four working days, approximately 3,000 kilograms each of young coconut husks and mahogany barks; or 300-kg premium Philippine indigo powder and 750 kilograms of annatto seeds both of which can readily be supplied by the Natural Dye Project of Aklan State University and PTRI in Aklan, would be needed.

The boost it will give to farmers and the dye facility in Aklan will be more than enough to also perk up its operation.

Secretary Alabastro wearing the Bon Gavino Gautier dress with natural dye ensemble will surely catalyze the entry of natural dyes into the apparel scene and popularize its use for office wear. The aesthetic appeal and quality of the fabrics, not to mention their economic, environmental and social significance could not be over emphasized. ---Julius L. Leaño Jr. RDD/PTRI-DOST.

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AT the flag-raising ceremony at the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) compound in Bicutan, Taguig City, Science Secretary Estrella Alabastro was wearing a tailor-made dress with natural dyes.

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