Newsweek - USA (2019-10-11)

What is the big problem you are

trying to solve?

MICHELLE: In the production of

indigo today, we need almost a hun-

dred times the amount of petroleum

per unit of indigo output. Toxic chem-

icals like formaldehyde and cyanide

all go into dye production. There’s

also the water polluting component,

which requires chemical reducing

agents that are often very toxic for

workers’ skin and the environment.

We want to change that.

How does Tinctorium work?

TAMMY: Naturally growing cells like

bacteria can be engineered to pro-

duce all sorts of useful chemicals for

humans in a safer and cleaner way.

MICHELLE: Instead of relying on

petroleum and cyanide, we use

microbes and sugar to produce dyes.

Instead of relying on corrosive chem-

istry, we use naturally-occurring

enzymes to apply the indigo onto

denim yarn, so the entire process is

far less toxic.

Has anyone tackled the denim dye

industry before you? If so, what

makes Tinctorium different?

MICHELLE: When we talk about dye

production as a whole, over 99 per-

cent of dyes used in the industry

are made with a chemical process.

The original source of indigo dye

for jeans was plant-based, but that’s

less than 1 percent of the industry

now because cheaper, more scal-

able chemical dyes have taken over

despite their environmental impact.

What are the biggest lessons you

have learned from others?

TAMMY: We’ve seen a lot of synthetic

biology companies work on their

process for a long time before pro-

ducing any commercial product,

which is understandable because

scientific development can take a

long time to implement. We’re try-

ing to get product into consumer

hands as early as we can and get

feedback on what’s working and

what’s not.

When can consumers expect

Tinctorium jeans to be released?

MICHELLE: We have a wait-list and

expect to release our first pair of

jeans in the next two years.

What has been your biggest

challenge along the way?

MICHELLE: It takes a lot of time and

money to develop a new technology,

and I think the tendency, especially

for female co-founders and people

who love science, is to wait for things

to be perfect before approaching

commercial partners or investors.

But you don’t really have that time

when you build a start-up.

How do you see the world in 20

years if you succeed?

MICHELLE: We dream of a future

where consumers make conscious

decisions about the clothes they wear

and think about fashion in the same

way that people today think about

sustainability and the food they eat.

If we’re successful technologically, we

get to be part of enabling that con-

scious mindset.

DYEING FOR

SUSTAINABILITY

Co-founders Tammy

Hsu (left) and

Michelle Zhu use a

less toxic process

to apply indigo to

denim yarn and

produce more natural

dyes for clothing.

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OCTOBER 18, 2019

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