Engineering Nature’s Brilliance for a New Approach to Colour

Nature, Climate
Nature Positive Materials

colorifix.com/

Colorifix is pioneering a new approach to textile dyeing by replacing toxic chemicals with biological processes. Its patented technology produces, deposits, and fixes colour onto fabrics entirely through microorganisms, eliminating the need for synthetic dyes, mordants, and heavy metals that cause severe environmental harm in conventional dyeing.

Colorifix pinpoints the genes that produce pigments in different living things, inserting these into microorganisms that are then deployed as biological colour-producing factories. The result is vibrant colouration with lower water and energy use, and complete removal of hazardous inputs that pollute rivers and degrade ecosystems.

Spun out of the University of Cambridge, Colorifix is backed by notable investors including H&M Group Ventures, Inter IKEA Ventures, and Regeneration.VC, and was recognised as an Earthshot Prize Finalist in 2023. The company works with manufacturers across Asia, Europe, and Latin America, supplying leading global fashion brands and, more recently, expanding into cosmetics and homewares.