Cultivating Sustainable Dyes with Lite-1
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Roya Aghighi and Sarah Graham are the co-founders of Lite-1, a startup that’s using biomanufacturing to produce sustainable dyes from microorganisms.
Dyes are easy to overlook even though they’re right in front of us. But conventional versions are made from fossil fuels, contributing to water pollution, human health risk, and climate change. Lite-1 is aiming to take over these synthetic colourants with their sustainable and circular alternatives.
In my conversation with Roya and Sarah, we explore the world of biodesign and precision fermentation, and why Roya and Sarah believe it’s the future of manufacturing. We also talk about the environmental and social impact of traditional dyes and the shift they’re seeing towards sustainable solutions like Lite-1 from partners in fashion and other industries.
Roya and Sarah also share their experiences building a hardtech company in Canada and how we can build a more supportive ecosystem for hardtech and climate tech.
About Lite-1: Lite-1 is at the forefront of transforming the colour industry, transitioning it from one of the most pollutive sectors to a clean, sustainable, and ethical one. By pioneering the next generation of 100% sustainable colourants grown from microorganisms in a circular system, Lite-1 is revolutionizing the way colours are produced and experienced. Using microbes as the factories of the future, Lite-1 cultivates sustainable dyes and colourants that offer an eco-friendly alternative to the fossil fuel-based dyes currently prevalent across industries.
TALKING POINTS
[4:09] Roya & Sarah's journey into biodesign and biomanufacturing
[8:58] The problem with conventional dyes
[12:23] How biomanufacturing works
[18:46] Scaling up and adoption with industry
[30:33] Common misconceptions about biodesign
[35:21] Challenges building a hardtech company in Canada
RESOURCES
Follow Lite-1 on Instagram
Find Roya Aghighi and Sarah Graham on LinkedIn
Send feedback and ideas for future episodes to hello@climatetechcanada.ca