Archroma to Showcase Sustainable Denim Innovations at Kingpins Amsterdam 2026

Archroma will present a range of denim-focused innovations at Kingpins Amsterdam, scheduled from April 15-16, 2026. The portfolio includes six developments focused on sustainability, dyeing efficiency and alternative color solutions.

Archroma has announced it will introduce six denim innovations at Kingpins Amsterdam 2026 under the theme “Creating Possibilities in Denim”. The showcase includes solutions covering dyestuffs, circular colorants and dyeing processes aimed at addressing environmental and production-related challenges in denim manufacturing.

“Denim leaders are strongly motivated to reduce environmental impact, but cannot afford to sacrifice market appeal or production efficiency,” Julio Perales, Technical & Product Segment Manager Denim, Archroma, said. “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.”

At the event, Archroma will present developments in cleaner dyestuffs, targeting challenges in indigo and sulfur dyeing.

DENISOL® PURE INDIGO is described as the industry’s first synthetic aniline-free indigo, designed to support compliance with environmental standards while reducing pollution risks and enabling more sustainable recycling of denim.

DIRESUL® EVOLUTION BLACK, recognized with the 2023 Just Style Excellence Award for Innovation in Dyes, is positioned as a sulfur black dyestuff with reduced lifecycle impact. It delivers a 57% lifecycle impact reduction compared to standard Sulfur Black 1, with no ammonia, no sodium salts waste, no liquid effluents and 73% lower water usage during synthesis.

DIRESUL® RDT provides a sulfur dye range approved by bluesign®, covering colors such as blues, blacks, navies, khakis and other shades. It is suitable for topping, bottoming and self-shade applications across various denim styles.

In the circular colorants category, Archroma will present biosynthetic dye ranges designed to reduce reliance on petroleum-based raw materials.

EARTHCOLORS® is a patented dye range derived from non-edible agricultural and herbal waste, including leaves and nutshells, aimed at reducing impacts on water usage, natural resources and climate.

FIBERCOLORS® is produced using a minimum of 50% wool waste raw material, addressing waste utilization in wool production while offering an alternative dye solution for textile applications.

The company will also highlight DENIM HALO, a yarn pretreatment and dyeing process that enables ring-dyeing at the denim mill stage. The process allows garment laundries to achieve high-contrast effects through laser or washdown methods, reducing the need for potassium permanganate sprays, hand scraping and bleaching. DENIM HALO received the ITMF 2025 Sustainability & Innovation Award.

“Impact assessments using Archroma’s One Way Impact Calculator show substantial environmental benefits for DENIM HALO versus standard processes,” Julio explained. “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 is an invitation-only denim sourcing exhibition featuring companies from across the global denim supply chain. Established in 2004, the event is held in locations including Amsterdam, New York and China. The Amsterdam edition recorded more than 1,000 visitors from 40 countries last year, representing over 500 companies.

Archroma will participate in Kingpins Amsterdam from April 15-16, 2026.