H&M wants to make clothing from CO2 using this startup’s tech

New York: H&M wants to make clothing from CO2 using new technology from a startup called Rubi. Rubi has raised $7.5 million to build a system that can make fabric material using carbon dioxide as its main ingredient.

The fashion industry throws away a lot of clothes. One garbage truck of textiles goes to waste every second. The industry also creates more pollution than airplanes and ships combined. When Neeka Mashouf and her twin sister Leila studied different ways to solve this, they decided to use enzymes. These are natural helpers that break down things in our bodies. The sisters found that enzymes could turn CO2 into the building blocks for fabric. Enzymes are already used to make corn syrup and clean water, so they know how to work with them.

Rubi’s system uses many enzymes working together like a chain reaction. Computers help make the enzymes work better and faster. When CO2 goes into their container, white fiber appears within minutes. These containers are about the size of shipping boxes. After testing with companies like H&M, Patagonia, and Walmart, Rubi has promise to make fabric for clothing. They also want to help other industries make products from carbon dioxide in a cheaper way than before.