Using Traditional Wisdom and Goat Dung in Sustainable Textile Fabric Dyeing for Consumer Home Products

Abstract

Goats are widely recognized as the most common domestic species globally, and have been shown to play a crucial economic role in many developing countries. Moreover, amongst the many resources derived from goats, natural cloth dye is often produced from their dung. Therefore, the research set out to investigate the process of fiber dyeing using goat dung and the subsequent design of consumer home products using the resulting dye. After reviewing natural fibers, cotton was selected as the main fiber for the goat dye experiments. A mixed-methods approach was used to study the traditional wisdom of goat farming and dyeing communities in central Thailand. The findings revealed that cotton fibers have good dye affinity, are cost-effective, and readily available in the country. The dye was produced using goat dung, and the experiment varied five control factors, including water temperature, amount, goat dung type, boiling time, and fiber properties. The results showed that fresh goat manure produced stronger color compared to fermented manure. In the second phase, expert evaluations determined the best design to be a ladybug pattern, rated as suitable, usable, beautiful, and unique (mean = 4.18, SD = 0.81). This study contributes to the Bio/Circular/Green (BCG) economy literature and expands on traditional Thai knowledge and wisdom.