DYE LAB: Ibadan Project
DYE LAB
(
Private sector
)
#SDGAction61223
Description
The objective of this initiative is to establish Dye Lab's Ibadan Production and Innovation Facility as a flagship model for sustainable fashion manufacturing in West Africa, one that preserves Nigeria's traditional dyeing heritage while setting new industry standards for ecological responsibility and artisan empowerment. Through the Ibadan facility, Dye Lab is building the infrastructure to cultivate indigenous dye plants, develop closed-loop water treatment systems, and bring the full production chain in-house under a sustainability-first framework. The facility will also serve as a training and research hub, with a target of upskilling 500+ artisans in sustainable textile practices within its first three years of operation. Partnership with the UN network would provide critical amplification for this work, accelerating visibility with ESG-aligned investors and impact funders, and positioning the Ibadan facility within existing continental and international frameworks such as the UN Fashion Alliance's Sustainable Fashion Hubs and the EU-Africa Textile Partnership. The network also offers a platform to share research findings, particularly around plant-based dye innovation and nature-based wastewater filtration, with the broader global sustainable fashion ecosystem, enabling replication across other African manufacturing contexts. What commitment is Dye Lab making — is this about scaling artisan training, reducing environmental impact from dye waste, or something else? In concrete terms, Dye Lab commits to maintaining 100% local, artisan-led production, achieving a 20% reduction in waste through circular practices, and scaling its sustainable pre-order model to meaningfully reduce overproduction.
The initiative is carried out through an integrated approach spanning production, business model, waste management, and community building. All dyeing, cutting, and production takes place in Dye Lab's Lagos-based studio using traditional Adire batik wax-resist techniques, with Aso-oke weaving done in collaboration with Yoruba weavers across Nigeria, all in small batches. Commercially, the brand operates a pre-order e-commerce platform and a made-to-order model with a 15-day production timeline, which together eliminate overproduction at the source, supplemented by pop-up retail experiences in both national and international markets. Waste is managed through precision pattern-making, repurposing off-cuts into homeware, re-dyeing old fabrics for new collections, reusing wax across dyeing cycles, and holding sample sales for repurposed materials. Community engagement is woven throughout, with pop-up events designed as cultural experiences, customer styling features on social media, and direct outreach to diaspora communities globally. The Dye Lab Campus currently in the conceptualisation and fundraising phase will bring these methodologies to scale. The campus will consolidate production, dyeing, water treatment, farming of natural dye plants, and artisan training under one roof, dramatically improving efficiency, traceability, and environmental performance across the entire value chain.
Knowledge and technology transfer are facilitated through cross-border collaborations with organisations such as Couleur Concept in Benin and Pichulik in South Africa, through which Dye Lab shares dyeing techniques and sustainable production practices. These exchanges are further supported by speaking engagements that extend the reach of Dye Lab’s expertise and help embed these practices within a broader regional and international network. In addition, Dye Lab runs hands-on dyeing workshops that provide direct, practical training in traditional and sustainable dyeing techniques for local artisans, creatives, and community members. These workshops serve both as a skills-transfer mechanism and as an entry point for participants into the broader slow fashion ecosystem Dye Lab is building. Looking forward, the planned Dye Lab Campus will significantly expand the scale and reach of capacity building efforts. The campus will include a dedicated Training and Artisanal Development Centre, with the goal of training at least 500 artisans, fashion designers, and textile workers in sustainable dyeing and slow fashion production within three years of opening. Structured apprenticeship programmes will be established to pass down traditional African dyeing skills, and the Innovation Hub will provide a research environment for the development and dissemination of new sustainable dyeing methodologies, with the ambition of positioning Nigeria as a leader in this field, comparable to the role India’s natural dye sector plays globally. The campus will also host an Immersive Experience Destination, open to sustainability students, researchers, tourists, and conscious consumers, turning the production site itself into a living educational resource and extending its knowledge-sharing impact beyond formal training programmes.
This initiative is governed through a clear leadership structure with Rukky Ladoja, Founder and Creative Director, and Ozzy Etomi, Co-founder and Brand and Commercial Director, serving as primary leads.
Dye Lab measures its impact across five key dimensions. On the environmental front, success is tracked through a targeted 20% year-over-year reduction in fabric waste and a goal of repurposing 90% of all fabric waste generated. Social impact is assessed by the proportion of local artisans employed — currently at 90% — with women making up 70% of the workforce, reflecting a strong commitment to gender equity in production. Economically, the sustainable business model generates approximately $1.4M in annual revenue across multiple global markets, with community reach measured through a growing Instagram audience of 67,700 followers and ongoing engagement rate tracking. Culturally, the brand has produced 15 collections using Adire and Aso-oke techniques and forged 17 collaborations that amplify Nigerian craft on a global stage, achieving 16.2 million media impressions and over 20 features in local and international publications. Business model viability is further evaluated through average order value. On the standards and certification front, Dye Lab is currently pursuing B-Corp certification and aligns its work with three UN Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 5 (Gender Equality).
N/A
SDGS & Targets
Goal 5
Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
5.1
End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere
5.1.1
Whether or not legal frameworks are in place to promote, enforce and monitor equality and non‑discrimination on the basis of sex
5.2
5.2.1
Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by form of violence and by age
5.2.2
Proportion of women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to sexual violence by persons other than an intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by age and place of occurrence
5.3
5.3.1
Proportion of women aged 20-24 years who were married or in a union before age 15 and before age 18
5.3.2
Proportion of girls and women aged 15-49 years who have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting, by age
5.4
Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate
5.4.1
Proportion of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work, by sex, age and location
5.5
Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life
5.5.1
Proportion of seats held by women in (a) national parliaments and (b) local governments
5.5.2
Proportion of women in managerial positions
5.6
Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences
5.6.1
Proportion of women aged 15-49 years who make their own informed decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use and reproductive health care
5.6.2
Number of countries with laws and regulations that guarantee full and equal access to women and men aged 15 years and older to sexual and reproductive health care, information and education
5.a
Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws
5.a.1
(a) Proportion of total agricultural population with ownership or secure rights over agricultural land, by sex; and (b) share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land, by type of tenure
5.a.2
Proportion of countries where the legal framework (including customary law) guarantees women’s equal rights to land ownership and/or control
5.b
5.b.1
Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex
5.c
Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels
5.c.1
Proportion of countries with systems to track and make public allocations for gender equality and women’s empowerment
Goal 6
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
6.1
By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all
6.1.1
Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services
6.2
By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations
6.2.1
Proportion of population using (a) safely managed sanitation services and (b) a hand-washing facility with soap and water
6.3
By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally
6.3.1
Proportion of domestic and industrial wastewater flows safely treated
6.3.2
Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality
6.4
6.4.1
Change in water-use efficiency over time
6.4.2
Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources
6.5
By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate
6.5.1
Degree of integrated water resources management
6.5.2
Proportion of transboundary basin area with an operational arrangement for water cooperation
6.6
6.6.1
Change in the extent of water-related ecosystems over time
6.a
6.a.1
Amount of water- and sanitation-related official development assistance that is part of a government-coordinated spending plan
6.b
Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management
6.b.1
Proportion of local administrative units with established and operational policies and procedures for participation of local communities in water and sanitation management
Goal 8
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
8.1
8.1.1
Annual growth rate of real GDP per capita
8.2
Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors
8.2.1
Annual growth rate of real GDP per employed person
8.3
Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services
8.3.1
Proportion of informal employment in total employment, by sector and sex
8.4
Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, in accordance with the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production, with developed countries taking the lead
8.4.1
Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP
8.4.2
Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDP
8.5
8.5.1
Average hourly earnings of female and male employees, by occupation, age and persons with disabilities
8.5.2
Unemployment rate, by sex, age and persons with disabilities
8.6
8.6.1
Proportion of youth (aged 15-24 years) not in education, employment or training
8.7
Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms
8.7.1
Proportion and number of children aged 5‑17 years engaged in child labour, by sex and age
8.8
Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment
8.8.1
Fatal and non-fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 workers, by sex and migrant status
8.8.2
Level of national compliance with labour rights (freedom of association and collective bargaining) based on International Labour Organization (ILO) textual sources and national legislation, by sex and migrant status
8.9
By 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products
8.9.1
Tourism direct GDP as a proportion of total GDP and in growth rate
8.9.2
Employed persons in the tourism industries
8.10
Strengthen the capacity of domestic financial institutions to encourage and expand access to banking, insurance and financial services for all
8.10.1
(a) Number of commercial bank branches per 100,000 adults and (b) number of automated teller machines (ATMs) per 100,000 adults
8.10.2
Proportion of adults (15 years and older) with an account at a bank or other financial institution or with a mobile-money-service provider
8.a
8.a.1
Aid for Trade commitments and disbursements
8.b
By 2020, develop and operationalize a global strategy for youth employment and implement the Global Jobs Pact of the International Labour Organization
8.b.1
Existence of a developed and operationalized national strategy for youth employment, as a distinct strategy or as part of a national employment strategy
Goal 9
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
9.1
9.1.1
Proportion of the rural population who live within 2 km of an all-season road
9.1.2
Passenger and freight volumes, by mode of transport
9.2
Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and, by 2030, significantly raise industry’s share of employment and gross domestic product, in line with national circumstances, and double its share in least developed countries
9.2.1
Manufacturing value added as a proportion of GDP and per capita
9.2.2
Manufacturing employment as a proportion of total employment
9.3
9.3.1
Proportion of small-scale industries in total industry value added, based on (a) international classification and (b) national classifications
9.3.2
Proportion of small-scale industries with a loan or line of credit
9.4
By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities
9.4.1
CO2 emission per unit of value added
9.5
9.5.1
Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP
9.5.2
Researchers (in full-time equivalent) per million inhabitants
9.a
9.a.1
Total official international support (official development assistance plus other official flows) to infrastructure
9.b
9.b.1
Proportion of medium and high-tech industry value added in total value added
9.c
Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in least developed countries by 2020
9.c.1
Proportion of population covered by a mobile network, by technology
Goal 12
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
12.1
Implement the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns, all countries taking action, with developed countries taking the lead, taking into account the development and capabilities of developing countries
12.1.1
Number of countries developing, adopting or implementing policy instruments aimed at supporting the shift to sustainable consumption and production
12.2
By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources
12.2.1
Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP
12.2.2
Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDP
12.3
By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses
12.3.1
(a) Food loss index and (b) food waste index
12.4
By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment
12.4.1
12.4.2
(a) Hazardous waste generated per capita; and (b) proportion of hazardous waste treated, by type of treatment
12.5
By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse
12.5.1
National recycling rate, tons of material recycled
12.6
Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle
12.6.1
12.7
Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities
12.7.1
Number of countries implementing sustainable public procurement policies and action plans
12.8
By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature
12.8.1
Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment
12.a
Support developing countries to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production
12.a.1
Installed renewable energy-generating capacity in developing and developed countries (in watts per capita)
12.b
Develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products
12.b.1
Implementation of standard accounting tools to monitor the economic and environmental aspects of tourism sustainability
12.c
Rationalize inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption by removing market distortions, in accordance with national circumstances, including by restructuring taxation and phasing out those harmful subsidies, where they exist, to reflect their environmental impacts, taking fully into account the specific needs and conditions of developing countries and minimizing the possible adverse impacts on their development in a manner that protects the poor and the affected communities
12.c.1
Amount of fossil-fuel subsidies (production and consumption) per unit of GDP
Goal 17
Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development
17.1
Strengthen domestic resource mobilization, including through international support to developing countries, to improve domestic capacity for tax and other revenue collection
17.1.1
17.1.2
17.2
Developed countries to implement fully their official development assistance commitments, including the commitment by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of ODA/GNI to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries; ODA providers are encouraged to consider setting a target to provide at least 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries
17.2.1
17.3
Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources
17.3.1
Additional financial resources mobilized for developing countries from multiple sources
17.3.2
17.4
Assist developing countries in attaining long-term debt sustainability through coordinated policies aimed at fostering debt financing, debt relief and debt restructuring, as appropriate, and address the external debt of highly indebted poor countries to reduce debt distress
17.4.1
Debt service as a proportion of exports of goods, services and primary income
17.5
Adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for least developed countries
17.5.1
Number of countries that adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for developing countries, including the least developed countries
17.6
Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism
17.6.1
Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, by speed
17.7
Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed
17.7.1
Total amount of funding for developing and developed countries to promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies
17.8
Fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries by 2017 and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology
17.8.1
17.9
Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the Sustainable Development Goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation
17.9.1
Dollar value of official development assistance committed to developing countries
17.10
Promote a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization, including through the conclusion of negotiations under its Doha Development Agenda
17.10.1
17.11
Significantly increase the exports of developing countries, in particular with a view to doubling the least developed countries’ share of global exports by 2020
17.11.1
Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global exports
17.12
Realize timely implementation of duty-free and quota-free market access on a lasting basis for all least developed countries, consistent with World Trade Organization decisions, including by ensuring that preferential rules of origin applicable to imports from least developed countries are transparent and simple, and contribute to facilitating market access
17.12.1
Weighted average tariffs faced by developing countries, least developed countries and small island developing States
17.13
Enhance global macroeconomic stability, including through policy coordination and policy coherence
17.13.1
17.14
Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development
17.14.1
17.15
Respect each country’s policy space and leadership to establish and implement policies for poverty eradication and sustainable development
17.15.1
17.16
Enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in all countries, in particular developing countries
17.16.1
Number of countries reporting progress in multi-stakeholder development effectiveness monitoring frameworks that support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals
17.17
Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships
17.17.1
Amount in United States dollars committed to public-private partnerships for infrastructure
17.18
By 2020, enhance capacity-building support to developing countries, including for least developed countries and small island developing States, to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts
17.18.1
Statistical capacity indicators
17.18.2
17.18.3
Number of countries with a national statistical plan that is fully funded and under implementation, by source of funding
17.19
By 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product, and support statistical capacity-building in developing countries
17.19.1
17.19.2
Proportion of countries that (a) have conducted at least one population and housing census in the last 10 years; and (b) have achieved 100 per cent birth registration and 80 per cent death registration
SDG 14 targets covered
| Name | Description |
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Deliverables & Timeline
Complete the fundraising round required to commence construction of the Dye Lab Campus in Ibadan. This includes finalising architectural master planning (in partnership with Papa Omotayo / MOE+artArchitecture), confirming the facility’s phased build-out
Launch three brand collaborations and deliver cross-continental pop-up retail programme across 10+ cities including New York, London, Lagos, Nairobi, Accra, and Abidjan, expanding access to Pan-African and diaspora markets, In terms of collaborations in t
Advance the research and prototyping of Dye Lab’s closed-loop dye water management system, building on the existing filtration prototype developed with Eve Nnaji / Addapt using paper pulp and sand filtration media. Document current water consumption basel
Execute international fashion trade presence through TRANOI Paris and Paris Pop-Up, showcasing Adire and Aso-oke collections to global buyers and press during Paris Fashion Week, generating the international market demand and buyer relationships that wil
Resources mobilized
Partnership Progress
Feedback
Action Network
Timeline
Entity
Region
- Africa
Geographical coverage
Other beneficiaries
The primary beneficiaries of this initiative are Nigerian artisans and textile craftspeople, particularly the Yoruba weavers and Adire dye workers whose traditional skills and livelihoods are preserved and economically sustained through Dye Lab's production model. Local communities in Lagos and across Nigeria benefit from the creation of dignified, fairly compensated employment rooted in cultural heritage. It should be noted that the brand is committed to fair, inclusive employment rather than to demographic targets. Secondary beneficiaries include the wider West African fashion and textile ecosystem, which gains from the cross-border knowledge sharing and collaborative networks Dye Lab is building with partners such as Couleur Concept in Benin and Pichulik in South Africa. The Nigerian and Pan-African diaspora also benefit through greater access to authentic, ethically produced cultural goods and strengthened connections to craft heritage. Finally, conscious consumers in international markets benefit from access to sustainably produced, culturally significant fashion, while the broader global community benefits from the environmental impact of reduced textile waste and the preservation of intangible cultural heritage for future generations. The Ibadan facility represents the infrastructure through which these benefits will be scaled and sustained, expanding employment, training, and knowledge-sharing capacity significantly beyond what is possible within the current Lagos-based model.
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Contact Information
Peace Ijika, Public Relations Representative