When I first heard of dyeing fabrics with avocados, I couldn't believe it. How does a brown pit or green (nearly black) skins turn fabrics a millennial pink??
The answer is tannin! It's a biomolecule that can bind and separate proteins and it also helps keep the color attached to the fabric!
(I followed the instructions off of this Youtube video which I'm linking, so all credits go to her! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M06DKQsYKFc&t=2s)
~Here you can see the color start to develop for the dye! It's like some avocado broth/stew. Though it looks orangey, the fabrics WILL dye pink I swear haha
~In the pic above, you can see the difference in color between the dyed and undyed fabric (this is a polyester blend for reference)
~The finished product! I am wearing an off-white colored robe for comparison :)
~You can see the difference in how fabrics react to the dye. On the left, the synthetic fabric has a less vibrant tint than the cotton shirt on the right.
Some more tips:
darker the skins, the more you can see little spots of pink/purple that can indicate the color or quality of dye, I have found that skins produce more of a deep magenta while the pits have more of a baby pink color
also be sure to hand wash the fabrics to keep the color as vibrant as possible!
the leftover dye can be used to water plants! it's non-toxic and natural which is a lot safer than if synthetic dyes were used
cotton and natural fabrics are highly encouraged because the dye will hold on longer to these materials (however I also used clothes that had polyester and they seemed to work ok with this dye, the color just looked more magenta than pink)
Avocados and sustainability:
While this is a fun project and a good way to use alllll of the avocado, it's good to acknowledge the origins of avocados and how they impact the environment.
From 1914 to 1997, avocados were mainly grown domestically since there was a ban on avocados imported from Mexico (due to fear of pests and NAFTA agreements). However, when the ban was lifted, imported avocados from Mexico increased and as such, most of the US' avocados come from Mexico.
While this sounds great for Mexico's economy, it is actually detrimental to the local land. Avocados are incredibly land and water intensive. 320 Litres of water are used to produce just ONE avocado. If that isn't bad enough, the water used to grow avocados often come from the local communities and aquifers.
Since avocados have increased in demand, a lot of land has been dedicated to avocados solely. This creates large monoculture plantations which depletes the land of nutrients (since only avocados are being grown on these lands) and the nutrients don't get a chance to replenish.
Using so much land also increases deforestation and helps accelerate climate change since trees are being cut down. Species biodiversity decreases because of habitat loss.
~sourced from World Economic Forum and Sustainable Food Trust
Therefore while avocados are high in oleic acid, vitamins, and tastes good, we shouldn't needlessly consume and buy avocados. As consumers, we have the ability to vote with our dollar and contribute to the demands in specific industries.