In episode 274, Kestrel welcomes Michelle Zhu, the CEO & cofounder of Huue, to the show. In an effort to replace toxic chemical dyes in apparel, Huue are developing biosynthetic dyes — their initial focus is to provide an alternative to synthetic indigo.
“We are creating a biosynthetic solution that is a one-to-one drop-in replacement into the textile supply chain. We’re creating these bio-identicals that can minimize the footprint of production of these dyes and pigments, but without disrupting the supply chain process that is required to make the authentic look and feel of denim that everybody knows and loves.”
-Michelle Zhu
Are you familiar with biosynthetics? If so, do you understand what they are or how they operate? So often terms like this get thrown around in the *sustainability* space, without a lot of context or definitions. They are assumed to fall into the good box or the bad box, when yet again – there is a lot more information needed to understand the bigger picture.
So, here’s the super basics – biosynthetics are made of renewable materials, instead of being petroleum based. We often hear about them from a fiber stance, so fabrics made up of biopolymers from corn or sugar or other ingredients. But on this week’s show, we’re diving into more on how biosynthetics are being used for textile dyeing.
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.
But take indigo – the color that we align with denim. Today, every kilogram of synthetic indigo produced uses 75x the amount of petroleum. And it involves the use of dangerous chemicals like benzene, formaldehyde, and sodamide.
This week’s guest cofounded a company that’s leveraging biosynthetics to address the extreme 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.
Quotes & links from the conversation:
“This Melinda Gates-backed biotech startup is growing bacteria that make sustainable dye for denim”, article in Fast Company
"How These Founders Are Detoxifying the Denim Industry--and Saving the Planet", article in Inc.
"Using synthetic biology platforms to clean up indigo dye-making", article in Axios
"Best Inventions of 2021 - Huue: Blue Jeans Go Green", article in TIME
Huue’s Website >
Follow Huue on Instagram >
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S06 Episode 278 | Why we must approach waste holistically & how Material Library Of India is reimagining & documenting neglected materials while advocating for systems change
S06 Episode 277 | Questioning how we *value* garments & respecting the limits of partnership across fashion with Jesus Herrera
S06 Episode 276 | Fashion psychology, contextualizing our buying behaviors amidst today's *speed* & how shopping is not equal to happiness
S06 Episode 275 | The Or Foundation's take on their recent agreement with SHEIN, how these grant funds are/will be used within the Kantamanto community & extended producer responsibility (EPR)
S06 Episode 273 | Kesiena Onosigho on slow art as a tool for liberation and why sustainability isn't passive – it's something you live
S06 Episode 272 | Revealing lipstick's dirty little secrets & questioning the beauty industry's lack of regulation with Angela Weinberg of Kolorete
S06 Episode 271 | Anuj Sharma on button masala and questioning cut & sew as the primary way to join garments together
S06 Episode 270 | Doctoral candidate Timnit Kefela on the rise of plastic fashion & the journey of microplastics that come with it
S06 Episode 269 | Ngozi Okaro of Custom Collaborative on fashion cooperatives & how they can shift power dynamics, counter overproduction, and support local economies
S06 Episode 268 | Venetia La Manna on the need to *Remember Who Made Them* (our clothes) & whether we should buy fast fashion secondhand
S06 Episode 267 | Sally Fox on breeding naturally colored organic cotton
S06 Episode 266 | The challenges of navigating supply chain minimums while intentionally building regional systems with Leah of Wol Hide
S06 Episode 265 | Summer Dean (@ClimateDiva) on slowing down influence & building community instead of obsessing about analytics
S06 Episode 264 | Greenwashing in fashion and the need for mandatory measures & regulation
S06 Episode 263 | Dr. Sandra Niessen on *sacrifice zones* & the layers of erasure in fashion
S06 Episode 262 | Roland Geyer on why we should we be focusing on LABOR, not MATERIALS in the quest to reduce fashion's environmental impact
S06 Episode 261 | Can fashion and degrowth coexist, and specifically — do high heels exist in a degrowth world?
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