Pili Eco-Indigo Bio-Based Indigo Dye

Pili is a French company (Pili SAS, registered in Toulouse) that develops bio-based dyes and pigments to replace petroleum-derived colourants, noting that 99% of colours today come from fossil resources. Its first product targets indigo, the dye behind denim, with ranges also aimed at inks, polymers, paints and coatings.

Pili combines industrial fermentation with organic chemistry, using non-food agricultural biomass as feedstock. Pili Indigo (CAS 482-89-3) is supplied as a powder with purity above 90%, is REACH-registered and gives shade and fastness equivalent to synthetic indigo, so mills can use it in existing dyeing ranges without additional investment. Pili produced its first tonnes in 2024, and the first commercial denim, made with Turkish mill Orta, launched in Citizens of Humanity and AGOLDE Spring 2025 collections. Customers are denim mills, brands and colour users in inks and coatings.

• Bio-based indigo: indigo (CAS 482-89-3) produced from non-food biomass instead of petrochemicals.
• Hybrid process: industrial fermentation combined with organic chemistry.
• High purity: powder form with purity above 90%.
• Drop-in use: equivalent shade and fastness, applicable without additional investment.
• Regulatory readiness: REACH-registered for the European market.
• Wider colour range: bio-based organic pigments and aromatic intermediates for inks, polymers, paints and coatings.

Denim mills in Vietnam can trial Pili Indigo on existing indigo dyeing ranges for brand capsule collections. Garment exporters can offer bio-based indigo denim to US and European clients targeting lower-carbon products. Ink and coating producers can test Pili's bio-based pigments to reduce fossil-derived inputs.

Pili Indigo is a drop-in replacement for petro-based indigo: denim mills keep their existing dyeing equipment and get equivalent shade and fastness. It is made from renewable biomass with an improved life cycle profile, supporting brands' scope 3 decarbonisation. REACH registration and powder form ease adoption, and more than 300,000 jeans have already been dyed with it.

Denim brands are under pressure to cut scope 3 emissions and fossil-based chemistry in their supply chains, and dyes are a visible target. Bio-based colourants that fit existing processes lower the barrier for mills. Vietnam hosts denim weaving and garment capacity serving US and European brands, which may soon ask suppliers for bio-based indigo options.

Pili SAS is registered in Toulouse, France (SIREN 811 524 545). Eco-Indigo was named one of TIME's Best Inventions of 2025; Pili received the Pierre Potier 2025 Medal, a BIOKET Innovation Award in March 2026 and the ANDAM Special Prize in May 2026. Long-term partnership with Citizens of Humanity, AGOLDE and Turkish denim mill Orta since January 2025.