From DW Documentary.

Colors make our homes more beautiful. They make our clothes more stylish. And colors are indispensable for art. But what looks beautiful can also be toxic: Many colors contain substances like mercury, lead, or chromium.

The production of colors pollutes soil and water. Toxins can get onto our skin via our clothing. Textile dyeing has a particularly devastating impact in Asia. In countries like Bangladesh, China, and India, wastewater is often discharged into rivers without being filtered. "Basically, the textile industry dumps all its waste into the river,” says biologist Jim Ajioka.

Along with his colleague Orr Yarkoni, Jim Ajioka has founded a start-up in Cambridge, England. Their aim is to revolutionize the textile market. "Our vision is to completely eliminate the use of toxic chemicals,” he says. To achieve this, the visionaries are relying on biological processes and microbes that can dye fabrics.

Paints made from natural raw materials such as stones and minerals: that’s David Kremer’s specialty. At his paint mill in Aichstetten in the Allgäu region, he produces paints according to traditional methods and rediscovers long-forgotten shades. Renowned museums such as the Louvre in Paris and the Prado in Madrid use his paints for the restoration of paintings. Many artists also find very special and rare tones in his collection.

A new project is taking David Kremer to Greece. There, he’s searching for a mine for a mineral that was used to produce color pigments in ancient times.

In the Netherlands, Jeanet Marit Herbst knows that colors can even be beneficial to health. The color expert is redesigning the interiors of large clinics in Germany, the Netherlands, and other European countries. Her work shows that colors can lower blood pressure, lift a person’s mood, and help reduce medication use. "Color does everything,” says Herbst. "It heals, supports, and provides stability.”

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