Archroma is advancing sustainable, high-performance textile solutions globally without compromising competitiveness. In an interview with ChemAnalyst, Vice President–Commercial Dhirendra Gautam outlines the company’s strategy, partnerships, and innovation platforms driving this transition.
ChemAnalyst Talks with Dhirendra Gautam, Vice President – Commercial at Archroma
Archroma, a global provider of specialty chemicals for branded and performance textiles, is advancing the textile industry’s shift toward safer, more sustainable, and high-performance solutions without compromising productivity or competitiveness. With operations spanning over 90 countries and a strong focus on application-driven innovation, the Switzerland-headquartered company is helping brands and manufacturers navigate rising sustainability expectations, regulatory complexity, and demand for durable functional textiles. ChemAnalyst spoke with Dhirendra Gautam, Vice President – Commercial at Archroma, about the company’s strategic vision for sustainable textile chemicals, its partnership with HeiQ to scale antimicrobial and odor-control technologies, evolving consumer expectations around hygiene and durability, and how Archroma’s innovation platforms such as SUPER SYSTEMS+ are enabling customers globally to balance cost pressures, compliance, and performance in a rapidly transforming textile value chain.
Complete Interview with Dhirendra Gautam
Q: Please provide an overview of your professional journey and leadership experience in the specialty chemicals and textile solutions industry, and how these experiences have shaped your strategic vision for Archroma’s role in advancing sustainable, high-performance textiles globally.
Dhirendra Gautam: Over the 25 years since I joined the industry for specialty chemical and dyes, (first with Ciba Specialty Chemicals which became Huntsman Textile Effects, which in turn was acquired by Archroma in 2023), I’ve seen sustainability evolve from a niche consideration into a driving force shaping how customers make decisions across the textile industry.
With a background in applied textile engineering and leadership roles spanning marketing, sales, and business strategy, I’ve had the privilege of working closely with mill owners, brands, and shop-floor teams across all major textile manufacturing regions. That experience has given me a very practical view of what drives real change. One insight stands out consistently: sustainability cannot come at the expense of commercial reality.
This principle sits at the heart of Archroma’s strategic vision. Our role is to help customers move confidently toward safer, more sustainable textile production while preserving – and ideally enhancing – performance, productivity, and competitiveness. That balance is the foundation for innovation at Archroma and for advancing sustainable, high-performance textiles globally.
Q: What is the strategic vision behind Archroma’s partnership with HeiQ, and why is this collaboration particularly significant for the global textile value chain today?
Dhirendra Gautam: The partnership between Archroma and HeiQ is a perfect example of this approach in action. Both companies share a commitment to helping lead the textile industry toward a more planet-conscious future, grounded in the belief that meaningful transformation requires sustainable solutions to also deliver operational and competitive advantages.
This collaboration is particularly timely as demand for hygiene, freshness, and durability continues to rise across apparel and home textiles, while regulatory and sustainability expectations are becoming more complex. By combining HeiQ’s innovation in antimicrobial and odor-control technologies with Archroma’s global reach, application expertise, and customer relationships, the partnership helps make advanced, responsible solutions scalable and accessible to brands and textile manufacturers worldwide.
Q: From a technology perspective, how do the antimicrobial and odor-control solutions emerging from this partnership differentiate themselves in terms of performance, durability, regulatory compliance, and sustainability benefits?
Dhirendra Gautam: Our solutions stand out for their ability to deliver effective antimicrobial and odor-control performance while maintaining textile comfort, durability, and wash fastness. They are designed to work across a wide range of fibers and applications, ensuring hygiene and freshness without compromising breathability, softness, or product lifespan.
Equally important is their alignment with evolving regulatory and sustainability requirements. Supported by application expertise and process guidance, these solutions can be integrated efficiently and at scale, reducing trial-and-error and supporting consistent performance. Together, this enables customers to move beyond compliance, enhance product value, and reduce environmental impact across textile processing.
Q: How do rising consumer expectations around hygiene, freshness, durability, and sustainability influence the growth trajectory of functional and performance textiles across these segments?
Dhirendra Gautam: Rising consumer expectations are reshaping how functional and performance textiles are specified across apparel, home textiles, and technical textiles, particularly in products based on man-made fibers. In categories such as sportswear and athleisure, consumers increasingly expect garments to remain fresh and hygienic despite frequent wear and washing.
This has highlighted challenges around odor retention and long-term performance in synthetic textiles, driving demand for functional effects that actively manage hygiene while preserving comfort, breathability, and durability. At the same time, durability and sustainability are becoming more closely linked, as longer-lasting performance is seen as a key contributor to responsible consumption. Together, these factors are accelerating growth in performance textiles that combine effective odor control with scalable, sustainable solutions.
Q: How are global trade patterns for textile fibers and textile chemicals shifting amid geopolitical tensions, China-plus-one sourcing strategies, and growing production in South and Southeast Asia? Which regions do you see emerging as key growth hubs over the next decade?
Dhirendra Gautam: Global trade patterns are becoming more diversified as brands and manufacturers emphasize supply-chain resilience, speed-to-market, and risk management. We see customers evaluating multi-country sourcing strategies and building flexibility into their production footprints. Our focus is on serving customers wherever they operate — with local technical support, consistent quality standards, and reliable supply across regions.
Q: Can you outline how Archroma’s innovation roadmap and commercial strategy in specialty textile chemicals are designed to support customers navigating cost pressures, sustainability compliance, and performance expectations?
Dhirendra Gautam: Archroma’s innovation roadmap and commercial strategy are built around helping customers manage the growing complexity of textile production — where cost pressures, sustainability compliance, and performance expectations must all be addressed simultaneously rather than in isolation.
A key element of this approach is SUPER SYSTEMS+, fiber-specific solutions designed to give brands and mills practical choices – allowing them to select processing solutions and functional effects that match their sustainability goals, regulatory requirements, and business priorities. This ranges from FOUNDATION solutions that support standard processes with ZDHC Gateway MRSL Level 3 compliance, through to IMPACT and IMPACT+ solutions that deliver higher resource efficiency, strong wash durability, and beyond-compliance chemistry.
From a commercial perspective, this tiered approach allows customers to make targeted investments. By improving process efficiency, reducing resource use, and delivering durable performance, SUPER SYSTEMS+ helps offset cost pressures while supporting compliance and right-first-time quality. This enables progress toward sustainability goals without compromising competitiveness.
Q: As a leader driving scale-up of sustainable textile solutions, what capabilities—technological, commercial, or collaborative—will be most critical for the industry to succeed during this transition?
Dhirendra Gautam: Scaling sustainable textile solutions demands strength across technology, commercial execution, and collaboration together – none of these is sufficient on its own.
New innovations must deliver measurable performance, durability, and regulatory confidence at industrial scale. They need to work reliably across fibers, processes, and geographies, integrate smoothly into production systems, and make economic sense for customers. This is where collaboration becomes the true accelerator. Partnerships across the value chain – between technology providers, chemical suppliers, brands, and manufacturers – help overcome technical hurdles, speed up adoption, and reduce risk as solutions move from development to large-scale implementation.
Ultimately, the industry will succeed by aligning technology, execution, and collaboration to deliver sustainable solutions that perform, scale, and compete in real market conditions.
