On October 29, Ginkgo Bioworks announced a major milestone in its partnership with Octarine Bio, a leading biosolutions company specializing in sustainable dye production. Having completed Phase 1 objectives, Ginkgo has successfully delivered multiple microbial strains capable of producing a wide range of bio-based dyes, enabling Octarine Bio to begin scaling up its production.

This accomplishment arrives at a pivotal moment for Octarine Bio, whose sustainable dye line, PurePalette™, recently made a striking debut at London Fashion Week. Through a collaboration with sustainable luxury fashion designer Patrick McDowell, several garments dyed with PurePalette™ were showcased, underscoring the potential for responsible fashion to retain both elegance and quality.

Commenting on this achievement, Felipe Sarmiento, Senior Director of Commercial Operations at Ginkgo Bioworks, said, “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.”

Octarine Bio’s Co-Founder and CSO, Nick Milne, noted, “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.”

With Phase 1 successfully completed, Ginkgo’s work enables Octarine to advance at least two of its bio-based dyes to scale-up in the coming six months, setting the stage for broader commercialization. As demand for PurePalette™ rises, Octarine is aiming to offer improved strains, more color options, and cost-effective solutions for the textile industry.

This partnership highlights Ginkgo’s capacity to meet technical milestones and reaffirms its commitment to supporting innovative companies in achieving sustainability goals. Through its advanced cell engineering platform, Ginkgo is empowering Octarine to lead the way in revolutionizing the fashion and textile industries with eco-friendly dye alternatives.