Archroma is a global colour and speciality chemicals company. It is committed to operating in a holistic way to protect the health and safety of people, as well as the environment. In order to shift reliance away from non-renewable petroleum-based dyestuffs and to not compete with food production through the cultivation of natural dyes, Archroma EarthColors creates value by upcycling non-edible agricultural by-products that would otherwise be sent to landfill. The range features warm shades that are suitable for dyeing cellulosic fibres.

Archroma is headquartered in Reinach near Basel, Switzerland, and operates with approximately 3,000 employees across 35 countries.

With the boom of the petrol-based chemical industry at the turn of the 20th Century, the majority of colours today are obtained from oil-based derivatives. These synthetic dyestuffs are produced in large quantities and offer high performance, but come from non-renewable resources and have a detrimental impact on the environment. One potential alternative is to use traditional natural dyes that are renewable. To make natural dyes a viable option for replacing synthetic dyes at volume, however, requires a lot of land and would ultimately compete, or lose out to, land for food production—which is also undesirable.  

Archroma EarthColors re-invents dyestuff by combining nature with technology. The patented technology contributes to a circular economy through the upcycling of non-edible waste products from the agricultural and herbal industries—such as leaves and the shells of nuts—whilst leaving the edible parts of the food available for consumption. Because no land is set aside to grow the raw materials for these dyes, there is no competition for arable land. The range contains six warm shades from nature that are suitable for dyeing cellulosic fibres such as cotton, viscose and linen. In addition, the biosynthetic dyes are fully traceable from the natural waste material to the store, through the use of smart NFC technology. EarthColors dyestuffs are bluesign and GOTS approved.

During the synthesisation of EarthColors, 100% of the natural raw material is transformed into new dyestuff, which means that waste management is built into its own production. This enables them to have a clean, closed-loop production process that respects the environment. According to Archroma, compared to conventional dyes (based on internal LCA comparative screening), their EarthColors technology reduces water and energy consumption, preserves human wellness and natural resources, and helps mitigate climate change. 

EarthColors dyes received the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute’s Gold Level Material Health Certificate and was awarded the Outdoor Gold Industry Award 2017 in the Sustainable Innovations category.

Photo by Nancy on Flickr