Pakistan denim manufacturer AGI Denim has partnered with sustainable dye maker Huue of California to produce denim jeans made from Huue Indigo, which uses microbial fermentation to create colors in a sustainable alternative to traditional dyes.
- Huue Indigo studies the enzymes in plants that create colors in natural dyes, and then replicates them using biotech, beginning with indigo. This uses microbial fermentation to digest sugars that produce natural enzymes that create the desired color. Know more about the process here.
- The key pathway step to produce indigo is indole (precursor of indigo) oxidation by the NDO enzyme system via the addition of oxygen to indole and formation of the direct indigo precursor, indoxyl, which then spontaneously dimerizes to indigo.
- The feedstock used usually is any agricultural residue with higher glucose content, but there hasn’t been any mention of the exact feedstock used to get their product done.
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Numerous businesses are manufacturing bio dyes for denim, utilizing biotechnology to provide colors that are both natural and sustainable. Among the noteworthy ones are:
- Colorifix: An organization that produces and applies colors to textiles using microorganisms, not using dangerous chemicals and using less water.
- Pili: A company that creates vivid dyes using enzymes from sustainable sources like sugar and vegetable oils.
- Ananas Anam: A firm that uses the fibers from pineapple leaves, a byproduct of pineapple production, to manufacture natural colors and vegan leather.
- Archroma: A firm that sells a variety of environmentally advanced colors, including Denisol Pure Indigo, a liquid indigo dye devoid of the hazardous chemical aniline, and EarthColors, which are made from agricultural waste.
The market for bio-based dyes is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.5% from 2022 to 2032, reaching approx. USD 47 billion by the end of the forecast period. Know more on market trends here.