Advancing our Collaboration with Octarine Bio to Develop Sustainable Bio-Based Dyes for the Fashion Industry

Today, we’re pleased to announce the advancement of our exciting collaboration with Octarine Bio, a pioneering biosolutions company focused on sustainable dye production. Following the successful completion of Phase 1 milestones, Ginkgo has delivered multiple microbial strains producing a spectrum of bio-based dyes that enable Octarine to initiate scale-up.

This collaboration comes at a pivotal time for Octarine Bio, whose sustainable dye brand, PurePalette™, recently made a stunning debut at London Fashion Week. In partnership with sustainable luxury fashion designer Patrick McDowell, several garments dyed with PurePalette™ were showcased, demonstrating that fashion can evolve responsibly without compromising on quality or glamor.

"We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Octarine Bio. Delivering strains that produce multiple colors at yields enabling Octarine to initiate scale-up is a significant technical milestone. Phase 2 of our program will be fully focused on further optimizing these strains towards higher productivity. The natural pigments market is a strong area of focus for Ginkgo and is on a growing trajectory. Our collaboration supports Octarine’s mission to provide the broadest and most versatile spectrum of sustainable dyes in the industry." - Felipe Sarmiento, Senior Director of Commercial Operations at Ginkgo Bioworks

"We’re extremely proud to see our sustainable dyes transition out of the lab and into the “real-world”, where the team at Ginkgo Bioworks played an important role in helping us achieve this significant and exciting milestone by delivering improved production strains ready for scale-up. Given the technical success of Phase I we are eager to continue our partnership with Ginkgo to drive our broad portfolio of colors to commercialization." - Nick Milne, Co-Founder and CSO of Octarine Bio

The success of Phase 1 allows Octarine to take at least two of the bio-based dyes through scale-up over the next six months, paving the way for broader commercialization. This advancement is crucial as Octarine is currently experiencing high demand for PurePalette™ and aims to deliver better strains, more colors, and cost-effective solutions to the textile industry.

This partnership not only showcases Ginkgo’s ability to meet technical milestones but also highlights its commitment to supporting innovative companies in achieving their sustainability goals. By leveraging Ginkgo’s state-of-the-art cell engineering platform, we believe Octarine is well-positioned to revolutionize the fashion and textile industries with eco-friendly dye alternatives.

To learn more about how you can bring innovative biological solutions to life at scale, visit us at Ginkgo Strain Optimization Services.

Posted by Felipe Sarmiento