The indigo dye market for the jeans industry is estimated at $1.5 billion a year. However, traditional indigo yarn dyeing processes require an average 60,000 liters of water per process and use polluting chemicals such as hydrosulfite.

Israeli green-tech company Sonovia developed a chemical-free, ultrasonic indigo dyeing technology, D(y)ENIM, which drastically reduces water usage, chemical waste and energy expenditure in the dyeing process, without hydrosulfites.

Two European denim makers, France’s Kering and Italy’s PureDenim, have already integrated Sonovia’s yarn-dyeing technology into their production lines.

Now, D(y)ENIM will be scaled up significantly thanks to a collaboration with a fellow Israeli company, industrial chemicals company Avco.

The collaborative will focus on producing an industrial quantity of the dye. Avco will leverage its expertise in marketing chemical products internationally to promote and sell the ecofriendly indigo dye and technology to global textile and fashion companies.

According to Sonovia cofounder Shay Herchcovich, “The successful completion of the first phase is contingent upon achieving key criteria, including reaching a production rate of at least one ton of the indigo dye per week, meeting quality requirements defined by Sonovia’s first customer, confirming the sale of 80 tons of the material, and mutual agreement between the parties.”

The two companies, he said, are “excited about the potential of this collaboration to make substantial contributions to the sustainable transformation of the textile industry. This partnership stands as a testament to both companies’ unwavering commitment to ecofriendly practices and a greener, cleaner future.”