H&M wants to turn carbon dioxide from the air into actual clothing. A startup called Rubi has figured out how to transform CO2 into cellulose, the main ingredient used to make soft fabrics like viscose.
This sounds like science fiction, but it’s real. Instead of cutting down trees to make fabric, Rubi uses enzymes to convert CO2 into the same material. It’s like turning pollution into your next t-shirt.
From Waste to Wardrobe
The fashion industry has a massive pollution problem. Making clothes produces tons of CO2 and requires cutting down forests for materials like cotton and viscose. Rubi’s process flips this around – it actually removes CO2 from the atmosphere while making fabric.
H&M sees this as a way to clean up their environmental impact. The Swedish retailer has faced criticism for fast fashion’s environmental damage. Working with Rubi could help them make clothes that literally clean the air instead of polluting it.
The technology uses special enzymes that eat CO2 and transform it into cellulose. That cellulose then gets spun into threads just like traditional fabric. The end result looks and feels exactly like regular clothes.
What’s Next
Rubi is still scaling up their technology. Don’t expect CO2 clothes in H&M stores next month – this kind of manufacturing takes time to perfect. But if it works at scale, it could revolutionize how we think about clothing. Instead of fashion contributing to climate change, your wardrobe could actually help fight it.