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Pantone and Tealeaves Call Attention To Biodiversity Threat With New Fossil-Inspired Color

by Rudy Sanchez on 09/15/2022 | 1 Minute Read

Pantone Color Institute, in partnership with premium tea brand Tealeaves, has announced a new Pantone color based on the world’s oldest found pigment meant to draw attention to biodiversity loss.

According to The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), over one million species are under the threat of extinction. With the "Pantone Color of Biodiversity," they look to support the United Nations Biodiversity endeavor, the World Biodiversity Forum, and 30x30 initiatives to protect at least 30 percent of the Earth's land and oceans by 2030.

Based on pigments made from 1.1-billion-year-old marine sedimentary rocks of the Taoudeni Basin in Mauritania, West Africa, and discovered by Dr. Nur Gueneili, Pantone’s new color is a bright pink hue. The pigment results from microscopic fossils of chlorophyll produced by ancient species living in an ocean that no longer exists.

“We thought turning to the Sahara, a location considered as one of the most ancient places on earth, as our inspiration can help highlight what was found in the earth before it was inhabited, and humans had the opportunity to sully the environment’s natural resources," said Laurie Pressman, vice-president of Pantone Color Institute, in a press release.

Pantone Color of Biodiversity follows other environmentally-focused colors like the “Glowing, Glowing, Gone” trio of colors in support of coral reef protection, “Forevergreen” in partnership with Lacoste and The Everglades Foundation, and “The Vanishing Color” in collaboration with coffee brand Lavazza as part of its Amazonian conservation and reforestation efforts.


Images courtesy of Pantone.