Project description
Cleaning up the chemistry behind blue jeans
Most people have a pair of blue jeans in their wardrobe. However, the traditional blue comes at a heavy environmental cost. The dyeing process is one of the textile industry’s greatest pollutants. The EIC-funded GREENDIGO project aims to introduce the first industrial-scale, enzymatic alternative to fossil-based indigo. The breakthrough lies in a bio-based precursor that, when paired with a specific enzyme, generates colour directly on the fibre. This eliminates the need for the toxic reducing agents that have defined denim production for decades. By integrating enzyme engineering with sustainability tracking, GREENDIGO is building a scalable blueprint for circular fashion. This technical upgrade is a fundamental shift toward making Europe’s textile industry as clean as it is creative.
Objective
The global denim industry, producing over 3 billion pairs of jeans annually, is one of the most chemically intensive sectors in textiles. Conventional indigo dyeing relies on fossil-derived synthetic indigo and toxic reducing agents such as sodium hydrosulfite, resulting in widespread water pollution, hazardous working conditions, and high energy and chemical input. GREENDIGO aims to revolutionise this process by developing the first fully enzymatic, biobased dyeing method for denim that is scalable, safe, and sustainable. The project will replace conventional indigo with a water-soluble precursor, which can be adsorbed onto cotton fibres under mild aqueous conditions. A specific enzyme will catalyse its in-situ conversion to indigo directly on the fabric, eliminating the need for harmful reductants and enabling a cleaner, circular textile value chain. GREENDIGO will combine cutting-edge enzyme engineering, synthetic biology, and textile chemistry with advanced sustainability assessment to ensure the process is economically viable, environmentally safe, and aligned with planetary boundaries. The project applies the EC’s Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework from the outset and integrates life cycle analysis, ecotoxicity testing, and absolute sustainability modelling. Outcomes will be benchmarked against current practices, with particular attention to emissions, resource use, and scalability. If successful, GREENDIGO will lay the scientific and technological foundation for a new class of biosourced textile dyes, enabling the reindustrialisation of denim dyeing under strict environmental standards. The project supports key EU priorities, including the Green Deal, the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles, and zero pollution targets.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences synthetic biology
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry alkali metals
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins enzymes
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.3.1 - The European Innovation Council (EIC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-EIC - HORIZON EIC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-EIC-2025-PATHFINDEROPEN
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
30123 VENEZIA
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.