SwitchDye, a University of Leeds spinout developing a lower-impact way to colour polyester, has secured new investment to move its process from the laboratory into working textile mills. The funding comes as a significant minority equity stake from John Hogg Technical Solutions, which will support industrial validation and help prove the company’s “drop-in” system under real production conditions.
SwitchDye’s approach is aimed at one of the industry’s most resource-intensive steps: dyeing synthetic fibres. Polyester accounts for more than half of global fibre production, and conventional dyeing is typically associated with heavy chemical use, long machine cycles, multiple rinses and substantial energy demand. The company says its polyester dyeing technology uses “fizzy water” in a way that allows mills to lower chemical intensity, cut water consumption and reduce energy use—without requiring factories to replace their existing equipment.
Under the partnership, John Hogg is expected to bring practical dyehouse know-how, manufacturing and stewardship expertise, and access to customer networks that can accelerate adoption. The goal is to help SwitchDye progress quickly from controlled trials to repeatable mill performance and commercial scale.
Professor Nick Plant at the University of Leeds said the development highlights the potential of university research to deliver tangible industrial change. “SwitchDye’s pioneering approach to polyester dyeing will help to drive a more circular and sustainable textile industry,” said professor Nick Plant, University of Leeds. He added: “SwitchDye’s pioneering approach to polyester dyeing will help to drive a more circular and sustainable textile industry. This is another example of the outstanding talent that exists within our research community and our strength in nurturing and supporting innovation in new technologies,” explained Plant.
The university points to the scale of dyeing impacts to underline the opportunity. It estimates textile dyeing globally consumes around 600 billion litres of water each year, with textile production responsible for about 20% of global clean-water pollution. It also cites figures suggesting polyester dyeing alone releases roughly 280,000 tonnes of waste dye and related chemicals annually.
SwitchDye emerged from collaboration between Leeds’ Schools of Design and Chemistry. The founding and research team includes Dr Nathaniel Crompton, Dr Harrison Oates, professor Richard Blackburn and professor Chris Rayner. The dyes were synthesised in the Wolfson CO2 laboratory before being transferred to testing facilities at the School of Design and the Leeds Institute of Textiles and Colour (LITAC).
According to the university, testing demonstrated the system can remove additives that typically represent a large share of dye chemistry—potentially up to 90%—while maintaining performance standards expected by manufacturers and brands. Because the process is engineered as a “drop-in,” the company says mills can integrate it into common dyehouse set-ups without major capital reinvestment.
Beyond reducing chemical load, SwitchDye claims operational advantages: fewer rinse stages, shorter machine time, about 40% less water use, and energy savings tied to streamlined cycles. It also says the dyes can be removed more easily at end of life, which could help improve recyclability and support fibre-to-fibre pathways—an increasingly important requirement as brands pursue circular targets.
Leeds’ commercialisation team supported the spinout by helping with investor introductions and providing funding to reach commercial validation milestones.
SwitchDye CTO Dr Harrison Oates said the John Hogg partnership is intended to accelerate real-world deployment. “Partnering with John Hogg gives us the technical expertise and industry reach to move from lab success into consistent, real-world application. Over the coming months, we’ll be working closely with dyehouses and brands to demonstrate how the technology integrates into existing equipment and delivers measurable savings,” Dr Harrison Oates, chief technology officer at SwitchDye, said.
Sam Walton, chief technical officer at John Hogg, said the investment aligns with the company’s customer-led approach and interest in scalable sustainability. “The partnership with SwitchDye marks the start of an inspiring journey with the potential to improve the future of textile manufacturing for many years to come. At John Hogg, we have always taken pride in understanding our customers’ needs and the evolving demands of the market. Being part of an innovation that delivers a true step forward in sustainable dyeing technology is something we are genuinely excited about. We also see clear alignment between our businesses, with John Hogg’s wider capabilities helping to accelerate SwitchDye’s path to commercialisation,” Sam Walton, chief technical officer at John Hogg, said.
With mill validation now the priority, SwitchDye’s next phase will test whether its polyester dyeing technology can deliver consistent quality and cost-effective savings at scale—two conditions that often determine whether greener chemistry can move from promising science to mainstream production.
