Huue

Modern textile production relies on synthetic dyes to deliver consistent, vibrant color at scale. However, these dyes carry environmental externalities both upstream, during production, and downstream, during application. For example, indigo is traditionally produced using petroleum-derived chemicals such as benzene and formaldehyde, while the denim dyeing process generates toxic wastewater alongside blue denim. Today, brands have no alternatives that match the performance, cost, and scalability of synthetic dyes without their embedded environmental costs.

Huue produces bio-based pigments, starting with indigo, for the textile industry. Its team studies how color occurs in nature and uses proprietary bioengineering to create microbes that mirror those natural pathways and convert sugar into vibrant pigments. Its indigo is both sustainable and fully compatible with existing manufacturing processes.

Biosynthetic indigo, like Huue’s, has five times less toxicity potential compared to chemical sources.