What are biosynthetic dyes & could they replace the toxic petroleum-heavy ingredients in today's predominant indigo garment dye?

Today, the majority of our clothes are colored with synthetic dyes. If we look back, the first synthetic dye was accidentally discovered in the 1850s when an 18-year old chemist was searching for a treatment for malaria. And since then, they’ve gradually taken over due to their speed and efficacy.

This episode dives into how biosynthetics are being used for textile dyeing with Michelle Zhu. Zhu is the CEO & cofounder of Huue, a company that’s leveraging biosynthetics to address the toxicity across the textile dye industry. They’ve started with indigo blue, and are building one-to-one solutions that can be inserted directly into the current manufacturing infrastructure.

About this podcast:

An inclusive audio space, Conscious Chatter opens the door to conversations about our clothing + the layers of stories, meaning and potential impact connected to what we wear. Hosted by Kestrel Jenkins & Natalie Shehata, Conscious Chatter tackles nuanced sustainable fashion topics via a roundtable format. Through deep dive monthly themes, the focus is on making the conversation more circular.