Today, 2nd October knows as National Batik day…

The word batik is Javanese in origin. It may either come from the Javanese word amba (‘to write’) and titik (‘dot’), or may derive from a hypothetical Proto-Austronesian root *beCík (‘to tattoo’). The word is first recorded in English in the Encyclopædia Britannica of 1880, in which it is spelled battik. It is attested in the Indonesian Archipelago during the Dutch colonial period in various forms: mbatek, mbatik, batek and batik
Batik is use in many ranges of products such as clothing, wood and paper.

After the UNESCO recognition for Indonesian batik on 2 October 2009, the Indonesian administration asked Indonesians to wear batik on Fridays, and wearing batik every Friday has been encouraged in government offices and private companies ever since. 2 October is also celebrated as National Batik Day in Indonesia. Batik had helped improve the small business local economy, batik sales in Indonesia had reached Rp 3.9 trillion (US$436.8 million) in 2010, an increase from Rp 2.5 trillion in 2006. The value of batik exports, meanwhile, increased from $14.3 million in 2006 to $22.3 million in 2010.

Batik is also popular in the neighbouring countries of Singapore and Malaysia. It is produced in Malaysia with similar, but not identical, methods to those used in Indonesia. Prior to UNESCO’s recognition and following the 2009 Pendet controversy, Indonesia and Malaysia disputed the ownership of batik culture. However, Dr Fiona Kerlogue of the Horniman museum argued that the Malaysian printed wax textiles, made for about a century, were quite a different tradition from the “very fine” traditional Indonesian batiks produced for many centuries.[26]
Batik is featured in the national airline uniforms of the three countries, represented by batik prints worn by flight attendants of Singapore Airlines, Garuda Indonesia and Malaysian Airlines. The female uniform of Garuda Indonesia flight attendants is a modern interpretation of the Kartini style kebaya with parang gondosuli motifs.

Mostly, dyes that use in batik and textile in market is azo dye.

What Azo?
Azo actually refers to chemical compounds that bear group functions RN = NR ‘, where N is Nitrogen; R and R ‘can be aryl or alkil.N = N group is a group of Azo. Under reductive conditions, can form azo group of aromatic amines.

Azo compounds are compounds bearing the functional group R-N=N-R’, in which R and R’ can be either aryl or alkyl. IUPAC defines azo compounds as: “Derivatives of diazene (diimide), HN=NH, wherein both hydrogens are substituted by hydrocarbyl groups, e.g. PhN=NPh azobenzene or diphenyldiazene.” The more stable derivatives contain two aryl groups. The N=N group is called an azo group. The name azo comes from azote, the French name for nitrogen that is derived from the Greek a (not) + zoe (to live).

Most colored textile and leather articles are treated with azo dyes and pigments.

Why Azo toxic?
Azo dyes normally used as a coloring agent obvious, especially red, orange, and yellow. Because potential release of aromatic amines, such as dyes and pigments are mutagenic, carcinogenic and sometimes allergies.

Azo dyes are also not biodegradable and are difficult to remove from our ecosystem.

EU Ban on Azo dyes
Since September 2003, all EU countries banned the manufacture and sale of consumer goods containing certain forms of azo dyes – those that release certain aromatic amine groups.

What kind of products that may contain azo dyes?
All types of textiles and leather goods, including clothing, towels, wigs, shoes, hats, diapers, gloves, handbags, bedding, batik dyes, etc.

Be wise, use Azo free dyes is most human friendly and also Eco friendly.

Pekerti and Carisouvenir use AZO FREE dyes on the product scarf / shawl batik has been tested in the SGS laboratory.

Source :

– Wikipedia : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batik

– wikipedia : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azo_compound