Archroma wins ICIS Innovation Award for sulfur dye breakthrough

FiberColors® creates sustainable dyes from wool waste to advance circularity

Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals, has won a coveted 2026 ICIS Innovation Award for Best Product Innovation from a Large Company for FiberColors®. These high-performance sulfur dyes are synthesized from pre-consumer wool waste, reducing industry reliance on petroleum-based inputs while contributing to the circular economy by upcycling unwanted wool that farmers would otherwise pay to dispose of.

With FiberColors®, Archroma has extended its patented EarthColors® method of bio-based feedstock substitution from plant residue to coarse, non-commercial wool. Using a minimum of 50% wool waste as a primary feedstock instead of conventional petroleum-derived raw materials, it produces high-quality biosynthetic dyes that deliver the same dyeing and fastness performance as regular sulfur dyes, with no negative impact on water consumption, energy consumption or waste generation during dye manufacturing. 

“Archroma has led the evolution of sulfur dyeing for over a century by advancing what’s technically possible and proving it can pay for itself. FiberColors® is that approach in practice – using an agricultural waste output with high disposal costs to replace a petroleum-based input and produce a dye that performs at scale for mills and brands. We’re honored it has been recognized by ICIS,” said Julio Perales, Technical & Product Segment Manager Denim, Archroma.

FiberColors® dyes can be applied across multiple processes, including exhaust dyeing, continuous dyeing, denim coloration and textile printing for cellulosic fibers such as cotton, viscose, linen, bamboo and kapok, as well as wool. The palette offers warm shades for entire collections, from jeans and chinos to T-shirts, hoodies and home textiles. FiberColors® products meet the bluesign® criteria, are GOTS approved, and are published on the ZDHC Gateway with Conformance Level 3.

Premium Türkiye-based denim manufacturer Orta Anadolu debuted its first FiberColors® collection in April of this year. Known for its distinctive aesthetics and responsible production, the ORTA brand is using the dyes to help solve a waste problem for sheep farmers.

Wool waste is a major problem worldwide as sheep farmers are forced to pay to dispose of fleeces that are not commercially valuable. In Europe alone, three-quarters of the region’s 200 million kg annual wool production is wasted. FiberColors® transforms this liability into an industrial input. Archroma can produce 10 kgs of liquid FiberColors® from 1 kg of wool waste – diverting it from disposal and giving mills and brands a scalable and fully traceable sustainability story.

FiberColors® reflects a 40-year commitment to eco-friendly sulfur dye innovation at Archroma’s Castellbisbal plant in Spain. The R&D team behind FiberColors® also developed EarthColors®. Introduced in 2017, EarthColors® has been adopted by more than 50 global brands, including Ralph Lauren, Kathmandu, G-Star RAW, Esprit and Ugg, upcycling over 60 tons of plant residue from the herbal and food industries.

The ICIS Innovation Awards recognize innovation that delivers impact and advances sustainability across the chemicals and energy sectors.