Summary

Huue is creating sustainable dyes that are at least five times less toxic compared to the traditionally used synthetic dyes that are used by conventional clothing brands. Their first mission is to made a sustainable indigo dye for denim makers. The company’s biotechnology involves converting sugar into dye by creating microbes that mirror’s nature’s processes and consume sugar to enzymatically produce dye. The company has created a drop-in 1:1 solution for the dyes and pigments supply chain, defining an end-to-end process that creates high purity dye material. It should be mentioned that about 20% of the world’s industrial water pollution comes from textile dyeing; most mass-market dyes, especially those used by denim brands rely on petroleum-based dyes and chemicals like formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide.

Story

Co-founder Tammy Hsu did grad school work at UC Berkeley focusing on dyes made from microbial secretions. The company’s other co-founder Michelle Zhu remembers visiting garment manufacturing facilities in China and being shocked by the pollution caused by these facilities. In 2019, the two collaborated to start the company to tackle the huge pollution associated with conventional chemical-based dyeing.

Pic Credit: Medium (right) and Time (top)