Archroma's technologies focus on advancing environmentally responsible solutions in denim manufacturing processes, aligning with ongoing industry requirements to lower environmental impact while maintaining production efficiency.
Archroma denim technical & product segment manager Julio Perales said: “Denim leaders are strongly motivated to reduce environmental impact, but cannot afford to sacrifice market appeal or production efficiency.
“At Archroma, we continuously challenge conventions, with an R&D philosophy that accepts nothing less than eliminating hazardous chemicals and processes while simultaneously improving performance and reducing resource use. That’s how we have built such a broad portfolio of game-changing solutions.”
The lineup at Kingpins Amsterdam will include innovations in dye technology, biosynthetic dyes, and process improvements for denim manufacturing.
Archroma is presenting a trio of cleaner dyestuffs, which it says tackle the most “persistent challenges” in traditional indigo and sulphur dyeing.
- Denisol Pure Indigo, a synthetic aniline-free indigo dye, allows denim production that adheres to eco-standards and lessens pollution risk.
- Diresul Evolution Black, which won the 2023 Just Style Excellence Award for Innovation in Dyes, claims an overall lifecycle impact reduction of 57% compared to conventional Sulphur Black 1, while generating no ammonia, sodium salt waste or liquid effluents, and using 73% less water during synthesis.
- Diresul RDT offers a Bluesign-approved sulphur dye palette for a broad spectrum of denim colour applications.
Archroma is also presenting two biosynthetic dye ranges, which use biosynthetic dyes sourced from upcycled agricultural waste and wool waste.
- Earthcolors is developed from non-edible agricultural and herbal by-products, aiming to reduce the environmental footprint associated with dye production.
- Fibercolors is made with at least 50% wool waste and is said to solve a problem for sheep farmers while advancing sustainability for brands.
The firm will also bring Denim Halo, a yarn pretreatment and dyeing technique recognised by the ITMF 2025 Sustainability & Innovation Award.
This process facilitates ring-dyeing at the mill, enabling garment laundries to produce high-contrast distressed denim effects without hazardous chemicals.
Julio added: “Impact assessments using Archroma’s One Way Impact Calculator show substantial environmental benefits for Denim Halo versus standard processes. But even better, Denim Halo doesn’t require mills to choose between sustainability and business performance. It’s designed to work within existing mill workflows, so there’s no need to modify standard dye recipes or set up. And it actually improves fabric performance by reducing yarn shrinkage and boosting garment tensile strength.”
Kingpins, launched in 2004, is an invitation-only denim sourcing event that brings together companies from various segments of the global denim supply chain.
The previous year's edition of Kingpins Amsterdam attracted over 1,000 visitors from 40 countries and more than 500 companies.
The April edition of Kingpins Amsterdam 2026 will be held at SugarFactory in Amsterdam, with the theme “Creating Possibilities in Denim.”
Besides Amsterdam, the event is also held in New York and China.
