Colorifix
Company overview
Colorifix has enjoyed rapid growth over the last few years and has its R&D base at Norwich Research Park. In 2024, they moved into brand new premises on the park campus which has five labs, meeting rooms and ample office space. This has resulted in an improvement in its communication and collaboration and because they are now all under one roof, things happen quicker and reach solutions faster.
Colorifix is pioneering a new approach to colour, using biology to replace traditional chemical processes. By harnessing microbes to produce and fix pigments onto fabrics, Colorifix significantly reduces the environmental impact of dyeing, including water and energy use.
The challenge
The fashion industry uses 5-6 trillion litres of water a year and is one of the biggest polluters in the world. This is because the industry uses chemical-based dyes in the dyeing process. Colorifix is revolutionising the industry by bringing an alternative biological process for dyeing textiles to the mass market.
Brands nowadays are far more conscious about their sustainability credentials, and new regulations are coming into force to protect consumers from greenwashing. Change is no longer only driven by their customers who are now more demanding about sustainable solutions, water reduction and pollution reduction.
The proposition
Colorifix’s technology replaces the traditional need for petrochemicals in dye manufacturing with a biological process – fermentation – enabling significant reductions in environmental impact. It is the only industrial dyeing method that fully uses engineered micro-organisms to produce and deposit colour directly onto fabric, requiring no harsh chemicals and significantly less water and energy.
With conventional dye, you take a host of chemicals and heat them into a toxic soup. A lot of the chemicals used are also irretrievable; so once they’re in the water system, you can’t get them out. Colorifix’s microbial petrochemical free dyes enable existing brands and manufacturers to move away from chemistry to biology, using their existing dye machines.
Colorifix gets inspired by nature’s natural colours from organisms like plants, insects, animals or microbes. Then, identifies the DNA codes that produce the pigment, in online databases, and engineers microorganisms to produce colour, by inserting the DNA code into modified and harmless microbes such as yeast or bacteria. These microorganisms are fermented with the addition of sugars, water and nitrogen, like you would brew beer, and they convert the media into pigment or dye.
This process uses less water, less electricity, pollutes less and emites less carbon emissions compared to the production methods for conventional dyes, which have a ‘heavier impact’ on the environment.
Colorifix currently supplies colour for dyeing fabric to mills based in Italy, Portugal, Brazil and India who then supply to their clients.
Colorifix has already worked with some global brands such as H&M, Sagana Vollebak and Pangaia so it knows its technology works and that there is a demand for its products.
Last year, Colorifix launched several new colours, including Solar Glow. It was three years in the making from R&D to full commercial scale, including rigorous wash, rub and light fastness testing.
Engineering Solar Glow Yellow was an important milestone as, being a prime colour, it opened the door for Colorifix to start unlocking other new colours.
Since its last funding round in 2022, Colorifix has made significant progress in deploying its sustainable dyeing technology across the globe. The company now operates in Europe and Latin America, with licenses also granted for customer onboarding in India and Sri Lanka, underlining a transition from small-scale industrial deployments to large volume commercial capacity.
What next?
2025 was a significant year for Colorifix with its ambitions to scale up its operations, grow the geography of its client base and develop more colours that will be available commercially.
The year started well with recognition from the fashion industry’s leading magazine in winning the Sustainable Textile Innovation Award at the prestigious Drapers Conscious Fashion Awards 2025.
And it has successfully reached a first close of a series B2 round of $18m to support the transition from pilot production to full-scale commercial manufacturing across global markets.
The round was led by Inter IKEA Group, with continued support from H&M Group Ventures, Sagana and Regeneration.VC, as well as new participation from Goldwin Play Earth Fund, Ljungstrom family office and Youngone CVC.
This investment marks a critical milestone for Colorifix as it shifts from proving its technology to delivering it at industrial scale. With Inter IKEA Group joining as lead investor and continued backing from H&M, it is uniquely positioned to accelerate the adoption of its biology-based dyeing across global supply chains, eliminating the need for petrochemicals in dye production and drastically reducing water and electricity usage in the dyeing process itself.
The new funding will support the company’s expansion of production capacity across Europe and Asia, deepening commercial engagements with textile manufacturers and brands and carrying out further development of colours.
The main customer focus continues to be the fashion industry, with additional agreements in place for partnerships in the cosmetics and homewares sectors. This year it wants to continue to develop global markets and is targeting brands in Brazil’s fashion industry.
Orr Yarkoni, CEO of Colorifix said: “Norwich Research Park has been a great place to grow and develop our business. The park has been very supportive in helping us to operate and having access to great scientific minds has really aided our thinking. As we continue to expand over the next few years, we look forward to growing our team and continue to be part of the Norfolk business community”.
Timeline
2016
- Colorifix is Founded by two Cambridge scientists
2018
- Colorifix moves to its new location at Norwich Research Park taking laboratory and office accommodation 1250 sq ft in the Innovation Centre
- Series A funding secured of $3 million dollars
2020
- Awarded an EU Prize of $2.8 million dollars
2021
- Increase laboratory and office accommodation to 3500 sq ft staying in the Innovation Centre
2022
- Pangaia Launches New Collection with Colorifix using Biology-Based Dyes
- Raising Series B funding of 24.8 million dollars
2023
- Colorifix was an Earthshot Prize finalist
- Secures AIP Pre-Seed Enterprise Funds to work with Earlham Institute
- Space was taken at the Ella May Barnes Building on the Norwich Research Park comprising of 7900 sq ft of additional laboratory and office accommodation
2024
- Colorifix moved into brand new premises on the park campus which housed five labs, meeting rooms and office space
- Series B (2) funding of $18 million dollars
2025
- Relocated their Industrial R&D facility from Cambridge to Portugal
- Consolidating staff into the HQ at Norwich Research Park
- Colorifix secures strategic investment led by IKEA
- Celebrated recognition from the fashion industry’s leading magazine in winning the Sustainable Textile Innovation Award at the prestigious Drapers Conscious Fashion Awards 2025
- Colorifix launched new colour – Solar Glow Yellow, which has been three years in the making