04/02/2026

Orta and Archroma launch denim collection dyed with wool waste (4/2/26)

Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals, and Orta Anadolu, the premium Türkiye-based denim manufacturer behind the ORTA brand, today announced a collaboration to bring circular dye chemistry into commercial denim production. The partnership will be showcased at Kingpins Amsterdam from April 15-16, 2026, where ORTA will present its first denim collection dyed with Archroma’s FiberColors® dyes. FiberColors® are synthesized with a minimum of 50% wool waste – specifically, fleeces that sheep farmers would otherwise pay to dispose of. By upcycling this unwanted material, the patented Archroma technology replaces petroleum-based raw materials without compromising performance, water or energy consumption, or waste generation in the dye manufacturing process. The dyes deliver the same dyeing and fastness performance as conventional sulfur dyes and are GOTS-approved. Following a successful trial in late 2025, ORTA has selected three shades from the FiberColors® palette: DIRESUL® FIBER-TEAK (brown), DIRESUL® FIBER-SLATE (blue-grey), and DIRESUL® FIBER- GRAPHITE (dark grey) — for its debut collection. The selection reflects ORTA’s characteristic approach of combining distinctive aesthetics with responsible production, and underscores the commercial readiness of FiberColors® for premium denim applications. “FiberColors® builds directly on the success of our EarthColors® platform, which has now been adopted by more than 50 global brands and helped us upcycle over 60 tons of plant residue from the herbal and pharmaceutical industries. With FiberColors®, we identified wool waste as another significant stream that circular chemistry could transform — giving brands a compelling and fully traceable sustainability story. ORTA’s decision to bring this into commercial denim production is exactly the kind of partnership that proves these technologies are ready to scale,” Julio Perales, Technical & Product Segment Manager Denim, Archroma, said. Founded in 1953 as a spinning and weaving company, ORTA has specialized in denim since 1985. Based in Türkiye, the company has more than 1,000 employees and a global reputation for melding style and sustainability. “We believe that aesthetics and ethics are inseparable,” Sebla Onder, Marketing and Sustainability Manager of ORTA, said. “We are demonstrating that the circular economy is commercially viable today – upcycling waste streams to solve a problem for sheep farmers while creating on-trend denim garments that can themselves be safely recycled and even composted at end of life.” The ORTA FiberColors® collection will be on display at the Archroma stand at Kingpins Amsterdam, April 15-16, 2026.