Introduction
Going back to nature
For thousands of years, we used natural pigments; but in the industrial age, natural dyes were quickly out-competed by synthetic dyes in cost, scalability, and performance. At Colorifix, we are circling back to nature and once again finding inspiration in its diverse palette. This time, however, we can do so without ever harming the environment, compromising on quality, or relying on supply chain availability.
Our Process
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The science of sustainable colour
Colorifix minimises the environmental impact of industrial dyeing by replacing chemistry with biology at every step in the process, from the creation of the dyes to their fixation into fabrics.
The first step is to find a colour created by an organism in nature— whether an animal, plant, insect or microbe. Via online DNA sequencing (never a physical specimen) we pinpoint the exact genes that lead to the production of the pigment and we then translate that DNA code into our microorganism. The resulting engineered microorganism can then produce the pigment just as it is produced in nature.
Our dyes are grown on-site with renewable feedstocks
We ship a tiny quantity of engineered microorganism to our clients who— with our support— grow the colour via fermentation. In the same way beer is brewed, the microorganisms grow on renewable feedstocks such as sugar, yeast, and plant-byproducts. The microorganisms divide every 20 minutes, resulting in a large quantity of colourful dye liquor within just one or two days. This is then placed directly into standard dye machines, requiring no additional specialist equipment or toxic chemicals.
We leverage a naturally-occurring biological process to deposit and fix the colour.
In conventional dyeing, many harsh chemicals, heavy metals, and salts are introduced at the fixing stage to create a permanent bond between colour and fibre. Our engineered microorganisms, however, are able to concentrate the nutrient salts and metals that are already present in water to levels that facilitate this dye-fabric interaction with zero added substances.
Colorifix can source and replicate true colours from nature
Nature has an incredibly broad colour palette. Whilst other eco-friendly dye alternatives often fall down on quality and price, we are focused on showing the industry that there does not need to be a trade-off.
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We bring colour to life
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