Our Dyehouse & Energy Centre Explained

Every Axminster carpet we produce is dyed at our site in Portadown, Northern Ireland.

Colour is central to what we do, and achieving the consistency and precision our customers expect begins long before a carpet reaches the loom.

Dyeing carpet is a process that relies on both water and heat. When we invested in our new Dyehouse & Energy Centre in 2018, we wanted to create a facility that not only delivered the precision dyeing our customers rely on, but also made better use of these valuable resources.

An important part of that investment was the integration of a heat recovery system. After yarn has been dyed, the remaining process water still contains valuable heat. Rather than allowing this energy to be lost, it passes through a heat exchanger where it transfers its warmth to fresh water drawn from our on-site borehole.

This pre-heated water is then stored in the Energy Centre before being used throughout the dyeing process, reducing the energy required to heat water for future production.

Alongside recovering heat, the system has helped us make more efficient use of water throughout the dyeing process. Since introducing the Dyehouse & Energy Centre, we have reduced water consumption by 46%, with a further 4% reduction achieved through continued operational improvements towards our 2025 sustainability targets.

The Dyehouse & Energy Centre reflects our Make with Purpose approach to manufacturing - continually looking for ways to improve the efficiency of the processes that sit behind every carpet we make.

By making better use of heat and water, we can continue to produce bespoke colour with the quality and consistency our customers expect while using resources responsibly.