Exclusive: H&M wants to make clothing from CO2 using this startup's tech | TechCrunch

"About one garbage truck of textiles is thrown away every second. Meanwhile, the industry generates more carbon pollution than international flights and maritime shipping combined. Some companies are experimenting with new ways to recycle textile waste, while others are developing new materials that won't require fossil fuels."

"Rubi is 'basically taking the machinery of biology outside of the cell' to make the building blocks of lyocell and viscose. The startup's technology would allow any company that uses cellulose to build products from captured carbon dioxide. Rubi recently raised $7.5 million to build a demonstration scale of its cellulosic production system."

"To make cellulose for lyocell or viscose, Rubi uses enzymes. That differs from other startups, which might use engineered bacteria inside a fermenter or chemical catalysts to transform carbon dioxide into the compound. Today, most cellulose comes from trees, including plantations and virgin rainforests."

The fashion industry generates massive textile waste—one garbage truck per second—and produces more carbon pollution than international flights and maritime shipping combined. Rubi, a startup, addresses this by using enzymes to create cellulose building blocks from captured carbon dioxide, eliminating dependence on fossil fuels and tree plantations. The company raised $7.5 million for its demonstration-scale production system and has secured over $60 million in non-binding off-take agreements. Rubi has tested its materials with 15 pilot partners including H&M, Patagonia, and Walmart. This enzyme-based approach differs from competitors using engineered bacteria or chemical catalysts, and enables domestic production of textile-grade cellulose pulp where none currently exists.

Read at TechCrunch