Fabric colouration is one of the most resource-intensive stages in textile production, and its impact cannot be solved by more sustainable raw materials or innovative technology alone. Conventionally, colour is applied at the end of the manufacturing process to achieve replicability and uniformity, at high cost in water, energy and chemicals. The current pursuit of near-unachievable uniformity in fibres, yarns and fabrics is a key challenge to circularity, wasting materials and resources through trial runs and discouraging the reuse of recycled and naturally variable materials.
MELANGE responds by using design as a driver of sustainable competitiveness in the European interior textile industry. The project advances low-impact fibre-stage colouration technologies, such as spin-dyeing and using inherently coloured natural fibres, treating colour variation as a signature of uniqueness rather than a defect.Its inspiration is a heritage practice from Prato, Tuscany, blending pre-coloured recycled wool fibres by shade, avoiding re-dyeing and treating variation as a valued aesthetic.
By shifting colouration upstream and making imperfection desirable, MELANGE aims to cut water and chemical use by up to 50% compared with conventional finishing-stage processes. The project focuses on interior textiles, which account for roughly one-third of global textile production and are often overlooked in sustainability discussions.
Changing how colour is made is not a single-discipline problem. Through its "design locks" framework, MELANGE addresses four barriers to change (aesthetics, production practices, business models and policy) through a cross-disciplinary, practice-led, fibres-to-fabrics innovation project:
Aalto University leads the MELANGE consortium of nine partners from seven European countries covering the whole interior textile value chain. The multidisciplinary Aalto team benefits from the synergy of expertise from the School of Arts, Design and Architecture, the School of Business, and the School of Science. The research combines textile design, interior design, and design aesthetics with supply chain and business management, as well as marketing.
The consortium is led by Professor Maarit Salolainen from the Department of Design, Aalto School of Arts, Design and Architecture.
“A unique strength of MELANGE is its multidisciplinary consortium of nine partners and an Advisory Board consisting of experts and industry leaders such as IKEA and Kvadrat”,Salolainen said.
“The project’s broader ambition is to strengthen collaboration between academia and industry to accelerate systemic change.”
MELANGE is a Horizon Europe project co-funded by the European Union, running for 36 months from 1 August 2026. Coordinated by Aalto University (Finland), the consortium brings together 9 partners from 7 European countries across the interior textile value chain, with a total budget of approximately €4 million. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101288712. Full list of partners.
More information:
Professor Maarit Salolainen, maarit.salolainen@aalto.fi
Melange Aalto team: melange@aalto.fi
The EU Horizon-funded MELANGE project brings together design, technology and business to rethink colouration practices in the textile industry and accelerate the transition towards circular and sustainable textile systems.
Professor of Textile Design Maarit Salolainen wants to see closer cooperation not only between research in different fields but also between the university, the industry and resellers to bring about change.
