Retail giant Walmart hopes to sell zero-carbon clothing that’s made from captured carbon emissions – including its own – through a new process developed by Rubi Laboratories in the United States.
“When I toured the Rubi facility earlier this year, I got to see their carbon capture process firsthand, and it felt like magic, this creation of something seemingly out of thin air,” says Andrea Albright, the EVP for sourcing at Walmart. “The science, though, is more exciting. It started with trees.”
That’s because twin sisters Neeka and Leila Mashouf, whose family came to the U.S. as Iranian refugees in 1979, developed a love of trees while growing up in California. The Mashoufs, both scientists, developed their chemical approach to mimic how trees process carbon.
They also understood a little bit about the fashion business, growing up in a family that operated one.
“They spent summers learning from merchants, designers, production experts, and manufacturers, magnetized by the beauty of fashion then later devastated by the environmental impact,” says the Rubi website.
Two new reports on fashion sustainability, released Monday by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), detail those impacts and the importance of reducing fashion-related greenhouse gas emissions through alternate materials and manufacturing processes.
And Rubi’s approach is a promising one. When captured carbon is diverted to a Rubi system, enzymes work to convert it into cellulose pulp that’s then spun into fibers, lyocell yarn, and textiles through existing industry mechanisms.
“The cellulose pulp is dissolved into a thick liquid called dope, extruded through a showerhead-like fixture with tiny holes called a spinneret into solid fibers, then twisted into yarns and woven or knit into textiles,” the company explains.
Most of the carbon emissions associated with existing cellulose sources come from land use management because so much of the cellulose is derived from wood and forest – 100 million trees’ worth each year that drives deforestation. Other options, like recycled fibers and those made from agricultural waste, aren’t quite as carbon-intensive. But neither do they rely on carbon removed from the environment.
Existing fashion industry emissions, which can account for up to 10% of global GHG while driving up water use and waste, also rely on carbon-intensive pulp processing and mill operations to make textiles. What Rubi plans to do with Walmart is to change up the process by first determining how carbon can be captured from Walmart’s supply chain by integrating Rubi’s modular reactors into facilities.
In addition to the manufacturing pilot, Rubi then plans to develop a garment prototype with an eye toward producing an entire collection of net-zero, biodegradable Walmart clothing.
“With Walmart’s scale and reach, the potential for Rubi’s technology to drive transformative change in how major manufacturing or supply chain companies approach zero waste and zero emissions is incredibly inspiring. We are beyond thrilled to start testing all of these initiatives,” said Neeka Mashouf.
The Ganni brand, based in Copenhagen, also is working with Rubi, as are fashion brands Patagonia, Reformation and H&M, among others.
“We know we’re part of something bigger,” says Neeka Mashouf. “While we’re applying our solution to the fashion industry first, it’s our goal to make every supply chain exist in harmony with the planet.”
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