Archroma has won the 2026 ICIS Innovation Award for Best Product Innovation from a Large Company for FiberColors, its sulfur dye technology that turns unwanted wool into a high-performance textile dye.

 

The innovation tackles two problems at once: reducing the textile industry’s dependence on petroleum-derived raw materials and giving farmers a new use for wool that would otherwise have to be discarded at a cost.

 

FiberColors builds on Archroma’s patented EarthColors technology, which substitutes bio-based feedstocks for conventional fossil-based inputs. The company has now extended that approach from plant residues to coarse, non-commercial wool.

 

At least 50% of the primary feedstock used in FiberColors comes from wool waste. The resulting biosynthetic dyes are designed to match conventional sulfur dyes in dyeing and fastness performance, while Archroma says their manufacture has no negative impact on water consumption, energy use or waste generation.

 

"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.