LOCALITY is testing algae-based pigments, fibres and circular production systems, but colour fastness, process speed and industrial economics remain the key barriers.
EU-backed researchers working on the LOCALITY project are pushing algae-based textile innovation from laboratory promise toward industrial validation, with a focus on dyes, fibres and circular production systems. The project has drawn renewed attention after reaching a milestone in its effort to scale and validate algae-based products for textile and other markets.
From petrochemical colour to bio-based pigments
The textile industry’s colour chemistry remains heavily dependent on fossil-derived inputs. LOCALITY is exploring whether algae can provide a cleaner route, particularly through pigments extracted from microalgae and macroalgae for textile dyeing and finishing. Researchers in Sweden, including the University of Borås and Mounid AB, are developing formulations for algae-based textile colouring, testing colour fastness, resource-efficient dyeing methods and antimicrobial functionalisation.
The current trials include Spirulina, a microalgae source associated with blue pigment. Pigments are being extracted using alcohol- or water-based solvents, while researchers test binders and fixation methods to determine whether dyed textiles can retain colour under industrial-use conditions.
Circularity built into the feedstock
LOCALITY is not only a materials project. Its broader model is to build regional algae value chains around the Baltic and North Seas, using industrial side streams and wastewater nutrients to cultivate algae. The EU project involves 27 partners from 14 countries and is designed to create three regional ecosystems serving food, aquafeed, agriculture and textile markets.
That circular logic is commercially important. If algae cultivation can use waste nutrients while supplying dye and fibre ingredients, it could offer textile processors a lower-impact alternative to conventional chemistry. But the route to scale is still early.
The technical gap
A LOCALITY report identifies alginate from brown macroalgae as a potential route for yarn and fibre production, while macroalgae and microalgae pigments are being studied for dyeing and finishing. Pilot work at the University of Borås has produced promising blue shades on cellulosic fabrics, but colour fastness and application methods still need improvement.
The next test is industrial credibility: algae dyes must match buyer requirements for shade consistency, durability, shelf life, cost and processing speed before mills can treat them as more than a niche sustainability experiment.
