From lab to global stage: Brilliant Dyes win global award

What began as a bold idea in a university lab has now captured global attention.

Brilliant Dyes Ltd - a spin-out from Imperial College London’s Department of Chemical Engineering  - has been awarded the prestigious H&M Foundation Global Change Award, presented by Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess of Sweden.

The award celebrates the company’s vision to transform how colour is  created and fixed in textiles, through microalgae-based, biodegradable natural dyes that promise to decarbonise one of the world’s most polluting industries.

Founded by Mohammad Redwanur Rahman (PhD student), Md Tabish Noori (Research scholar), and Professor Klaus Hellgardt (Professor of Chemical Engineering), Brilliant Dyes has developed and patented a low-energy, closed-loop extraction process that recovers vibrant dyes from CO₂-sequestering microalgae. This process achieves up to 90% efficiency, all while using minimal energy, producing no chemical waste, and recycling solvents in a continuous system.

Alongside their scientific and commercial milestones, the team is currently part of Undaunted’s Greenhouse accelerator, where they are receiving specialist support to refine their business model, stress-test their scale-up plans, and deepen their sustainability impact. Earlier this year, they also progressed through the Imperial Enterprise Lab’s Venture Catalyst Challenge 2025, which provided expert mentoring, entrepreneurial training, and access to an invaluable innovation network.

Receiving the H&M Global Change Award is more than a recognition, it's a turning point. Mr Redwan Rahman and Dr Tabish Noori Co-founders, Brilliant Dyes

On the process, co-founders Redwan Rahman and Dr Tabish Noori said: “Receiving the Global Change Award is more than a recognition, it's a turning point. During the Innovation Week in Stockholm (19–24 October), we participated in tailored workshops led by the H&M Foundation, Accenture, and the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, and gained exposure through global pitches, product demonstrations, and investor meetings. These experiences not only validated our vision but also opened doors to strategic partnerships, advisors, and potential investors ready to help scale their impact”. 

The team is focused on perfecting its core technology and preparing for pilot-scale validation in Q3 next year. Dr. Noori said, “We are developing a sustainable dye fixation strategy to eliminate toxic mordants while improving colour fastness, a step that could revolutionise natural dyeing, saving over 50% in energy and eliminating 100% of harmful chemicals”.

The integrated expertise - from microalgae cultivation to pigment extraction and colour fixation - gives Brilliant Dyes a clear edge over competitors. While many natural dye producers struggle with stability, scalability, and fixation, Brilliant Dyes offers a fully circular, end-to-end solution that merges scientific rigour with industrial feasibility. This not only strengthens its B2B business model but also positions the company as a trusted technology partner for brands seeking sustainable and traceable colour solutions.

“The company is close to securing three Letters of Intent from leading dye houses and niche garment manufacturers, while also drawing strong interest from the cosmetics industry,” said Mr Rahman (CEO of Brilliant Dyes).

For Brilliant Dyes, this recognition is not just an award, it is the beginning of a global movement to bring colour back to nature, sustainably.

Follow the Brilliant Dyes journey.

ChemEng Enterprise-a rich history, an exciting present, a bright future

Brilliant Dyes is one of several recent spinouts from Imperial’s Department of Chemical Engineering, reflecting the department’s growing reputation for translating research into entrepreneurial solutions. In 2024–25 alone, the department launched five spinouts, representing a third of all Imperial spin-outs that year. 

This latest recognition underlines the potential for chemical engineers not only to deliver technological breakthroughs, but also to contribute to cultural change in industries far beyond traditional engineering sectors.

Additionally, this is the latest exciting development from the highly successful decentralised Enterprise support programme launched by the Department of Chemical Engineering - unique within Imperial.

The scheme includes early scouting, a pre-seed funding scheme, extensive advice and mentoring, support of interactions with Imperial and funders, “how-to” workshops and a yearly ChemEng Enterprise Day.

Find out more about ChemEng Enterprise.

Interested in participating in ChemEng Enterprise Day 2026? Get in touch with Geetanjali Bathina.