Plant-Based Indigo Offers a Denim Dyeing Solution for the Future‎

Fashion for Good is collaborating with Levi Strauss & Co. and Stony Creek Colors to pilot the usage of Stony Creek’s IndiGold™ plant-based pre-reduced indigo at scale as part of an initiative to minimize the number of potentially harmful chemicals in the denim supply chain.

Levi Strauss & Co., a Fashion for Good partner, provides a wealth of experience, technological know-how, and insights into the creation of high-quality denim. Stony Creek Colors will deliver their pre-reduced IndiGold indigo dye to certain denim mills utilized by their partners to execute performance experiments with diverse denim dying techniques for the first time. The goal is to uncover critical insights into shadow application and other efficiencies. By late 2022 or early 2023, the project hopes to have clothing colored with Stony Creek Colors’ IndiGold dye on the market.

Jeffrey Hogue, Chief Sustainability Officer of Levi Strauss & Co, said that their past collaboration with Stony Creek showed the enormous potential of plant-based colors. This is a fantastic opportunity to expand on that effort and fully realize the innovation’s promise. Stony Creek Colors has already cooperated with Levi Strauss & Co. for numerous seasons of its Wellthread brand.

IndiGold uses plant-based inputs to replace petroleum-derived synthetic indigo and may be integrated into an indigo pre-reduction system by employing hydrogen as a reduction agent, removing toxic byproducts from both the pre-reduction and dyeing processes. Furthermore, because the liquid dye is pre-reduced, it allows for more mills to use it with more consistent dye yields, allowing for more efficient use of raw materials such as indigo and supporting chemistry. This can aid in the production of higher-quality fabrics that use less water and energy.

Sarah Bellos, Stony Creek Colors’ CEO and Founder, said that customers and brands demand procedures and materials that are clean and safe. As they become more aware of the effects of climate change, they must act quickly to implement scalable, plant-based solutions. IndiGold is a new liquid form of Stony Creek Colors’ proven, climate-friendly indigo dye that provides for dramatic ease of use and efficiency in denim mill dyeing while eliminating the chemistries that can cause pollution in the denim dyeing process.

Stony Creek Colors grows indigo on partner farms around the United States, assisting farmers in transitioning to a new, soil-enriching crop. It is also looking at other possible agricultural benefits of the crop through its considerable work on plant genetics and breeding.

Katrin Ley, Managing Director of Fashion for Good, said that the project will be managed by Fashion for Good, which owns an interest in Stony Creek Colors. The textile sector must transition to inputs that are safer, sustainable, and regenerative. This transformation is being driven by Stony Creek Color’s innovation, and they’re delighted to be working directly with them and their partners to bring it to market.