Retail giant Walmart is partnering with fashion tech start-up Rubi Laboratories to experiment with turning carbon emissions into textiles, the company said Thursday.
The companies are planning to run a series of pilots plugging Rubi’s technology into Walmart’s supply chain and developing a sample collection from the fabric produced.
Company’s like On and Zara are already experimenting with materials made from recycled carbon, but Walmart’s tie up with Rubi points to ways in which brands might use technology to tackle their own manufacturing emissions and throws the weight of one of the world’s largest retailers behind the effort.
Rubi’s technology is designed to capture carbon emissions at factories, mills and other industrial sites, using enzymes to convert them into cellulose that can then be spun into textiles. The company, which raised $8.7 million dollars earlier this year, already works with fashion companies including H&M Group, Reformation and Ganni.
“This technology could play an important role in our journey towards zero waste and zero emissions,” said Walmart executive vice president for sourcing Andrea Albright.
Learn more:
Eco-Fashion’s Next Big Idea: Turn Pollution Into Products
Sound like science fiction? Companies like On, Pangaia, Zara and Lululemon are already experimenting with materials and dyes produced with captured carbon emissions.
