The global fashion industry consumes trillions of gallons of water each year to make clothes, and textile dyeing is a major source of both water use and pollution. By employing bacteria to replicate colors found in nature, a UK biotech can produce dyes with a fraction of the water used in conventional methods and no toxic chemicals.
Colorifix Ltd., based in Norwich, England, identifies feathers, insects and plants that display the hues it wants to create. Then it digitally sources the DNA sequence responsible for the natural pigment and engineers bacteria to produce the color. Through a fermentation process similar to making beer, the microorganisms are fed water, sugar, yeast and plant byproducts, and within a couple of days they generate a large volume of dye liquor that can be used in standard machines by commercial dye houses. “As long as we give them water and nutrients, they’ll keep dividing and growing and making the color,” says Orr Yarkoni, co-founder and chief executive officer of Colorifix.
This story is from the March 20 - 27, 2023 edition of Bloomberg Businessweek US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 20 - 27, 2023 edition of Bloomberg Businessweek US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Instagram's Founders Say It's Time for a New Social App
The rise of AI and the fall of Twitter could create opportunities for upstarts
Running in Circles
A subscription running shoe program aims to fight footwear waste
What I Learned Working at a Hawaiien Mega-Resort
Nine wild secrets from the staff at Turtle Bay, who have to manage everyone from haughty honeymooners to go-go-dancing golfers.
How Noma Will Blossom In Kyoto
The best restaurant in the world just began its second pop-up in Japan. Here's what's cooking
The Last-Mover Problem
A startup called Sennder is trying to bring an extremely tech-resistant industry into the age of apps
Tick Tock, TikTok
The US thinks the Chinese-owned social media app is a major national security risk. TikTok is running out of ways to avoid a ban
Cleaner Clothing Dye, Made From Bacteria
A UK company produces colors with less water than conventional methods and no toxic chemicals
Pumping Heat in Hamburg
The German port city plans to store hot water underground and bring it up to heat homes in the winter
Sustainability: Calamari's Climate Edge
Squid's ability to flourish in warmer waters makes it fitting for a diet for the changing environment
New Money, New Problems
In Naples, an influx of wealthy is displacing out-of-towners lower-income workers