Fashion giants Reformation and Patagonia to create prototype products : Can carbon yarn made from bio catalysis be a substitute for viscose? Ganni and Rubi working together
Fashion giants Reformation and Patagonia to create prototype products : Can carbon yarn made from bio catalysis be a substitute for viscose? Ganni and Rubi working together
Ganni and Rubi CO2 absorbent Carbon yarn at Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen 2023
Danish fashion brand Ganni and California-based start-up Rubi have produced a yarn made directly from carbon emissions using an enzymatic process that allows for the digestion of captured carbon dioxide found in manufacturing waste streams. The yarn is the first to be land and water neutral and was unpacked as an achievement at the Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen.
The yarn samples are derived from carbon sequestration, a process inspired by photosynthesis and how trees absorb CO2. Neeka and Leila Mashouf, founders of Rubi Labs, expressed their vision to restore Earth’s ecological balance through reimagined supply chains that are in harmony with the planet, with the potential to transform the landscape of garment production by effectively sequestering greenhouse gasses instead of releasing them into the environment.
Fashion, being the third most CO2-polluting supply chain, serves as their starting point.
The Rubi process to make Carbon yarn inspired by biology: biocatalysis
In Rubi’s industrial reactor system, they harness enzymes obtained from various sources in nature to facilitate the synthesis of cellulose from CO2. Their approach involves utilizing enzymes in a ‘cell-free’ manner, rather than relying on cell-based biomanufacturing.
This choice enables them to convert 100% of the feedstock CO2 into product, eliminating the production of numerous extraneous cellular byproducts and avoiding the need for excessive energy consumption to maintain cells under specific conditions. Additionally, the design of a cell-free system grants them greater control, enhancing the flow of reactions along the pathway and leading to improved efficiency.
Biocatalysis for the carbon yarn – Ganni x Rubi – team up to decarbonize fashion
The molecules of carbon dioxide undergo a chemical process called biocatalysis, which is based on the development of sub processes or systems: production of the biocatalyst (fermentation and expression), biocatalyst development (protein engineering and formulation, e.g., immobilization), and process and downstream process design. It involves catalysts with a biological origin (cells), such as enzymes, that are used to obtain biomolecules.
Once inserted, the carbon molecule is guided through biochemical reactions. Step by step, these reactions shape and mold the foundational molecule, eventually polymerizing it into lengthy cellulose chains. These chains are effortlessly filtered out at the opposite end of the reactor system, ready to be further processed into textiles. Rubi employs a cyclical design rather than a linear one, ensuring that the materials essential for carbon capture are regenerated.
What comes out is a cellulose pulp that gets dissolved into a dense liquid called dope, which is extruded through a spinneret—a fixture resembling a shower head but with minuscule openings—forming solid fibers. These fibers are subsequently twisted into yarns and woven or knitted into textiles, aligning perfectly with established textile production methods.
Ganni and Rubi fashion collaboration for climate neutral products: Fabrics of the Future and the Carbon yarn
The collaboration between Rubi and Ganni is part of the Fabrics of the Future initiative, which aims to explore and develop innovative materials for a more circular and sustainable fashion industry. It represents the second phase of a strategic pilot partnership between the two companies, with the ultimate goal of creating garments that are climate-neutral products.
Rubi, who specializes in symbiotic manufacturing, employs the biochemical processes. Ganni, on the other hand, envisions the implementation of carbon sequestration technology throughout the brand’s manufacturing facilities, encompassing dye plants and yarn spinners. This integrated approach aims to establish a zero-waste system that transforms emissions into feedstock for production.
Reffstrup, Ganni’s founder, acknowledges the value of conducting extensive testing to ensure that the material meets quality standards in terms of aesthetics, texture, durability, and suitability before implementing it on a large scale.
Not only the carbon yarn: Ganni’s commitment to incorporate organic and recycled materials in their collections
More than 70 percent of Ganni’s collection already incorporates certified organic or recycled materials, such as lenzing™ ecovero™, a viscose material with lower environmental impact than generic viscose –up to 50 percent lower CO2 emissions to air and water impact, according to Higg MSI. The fiber is also certified with the EU Ecolabel.
By 2025, the brand aims to source at least 10 percent of its materials from innovative fabric providers like Rubi. Reffstrup emphasizes that enhancing fabric utilization is essential for reducing Ganni’s carbon footprint, given that 65 percent of their emissions stem from material production.
Ganni, Reformation, Patagonia, and Nuuly, join forces to develop prototype products using carbon yarn
Rubi has raised an additional $8.7 million in funding from the US National Science Foundation for the development of their yarn derived from converted CO2. Rajesh Mehta, the program director of the agency Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer program explains that they were selected based on their intellectual merit, transformative nature, societal benefits, and commercial viability.
This funding boost, other than Ganni, has attracted the attention of brands such as Reformation, Patagonia, and Nuuly – the rental platform owned by Urbn –, who have joined forces to develop prototype products and drive the commercialization of this technolology.
The newly acquired funding will fuel the upcoming stage of commercialization, focusing on assessing the integration of the material into established supply chains, developing comprehensive prototype products, and introducing them through exclusive capsule collections before expanding further.
This collaborative effort is expected to take approximately six months to complete, and most of the chosen brands have already begun the process, aiming to validate the concept across various price ranges.
Carbon yarn is a viscose made with sequestered CO2. What happens after its disposal?
Before carbon capture materials can be widely regarded as a definitive climate solution, there are questions that remain unanswered, according to experts. These questions encompass the sourcing and potential re-release of methane or carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the comparison between the new fabric and the material it aims to replace, the responsibility for carbon accounting and the methodologies employed, the compatibility of the new material with a healthy ecosystem and its suitability for a circular fashion model, as well as the potential unforeseen consequences in the short and long term.
The problems associated with viscose and lyocell-like materials have already been established. What about the same material but made of carbon dioxide? Although their manufacturing processes could be considered more sustainable from an input standpoint, several concerns around the disposal and decomposition of these materials in the environment still remain, once the substances are released in the air at their end-of-life cycle.
It is undoubtedly an innovation to be able to extract carbon dioxide from air, transform it into a usable material, and utilize it as a raw resource. It represents an advancement towards a hopefully growing segment of the fashion industry. Before proceeding in this direction though, we should definitely study the implications of what we are creating.
Rubi’s lab made cellulose doesn’t carry the same environmental concerns as traditional viscose
The Mashouf sisters have intentionally made a choice focusing on natural fibers that can biodegrade without posing a threat to future ecosystems. Since the conventional production of viscose, derived from wood pulp, has been linked to extensive deforestation in crucial ecosystems worldwide along with the chemical-intensive process used to convert pulp into fiber, Rubi offers an alternative that could replace the existing viscose supply chain.
The cellulose produced by Rubi is identical to the cellulose found in traditional viscose, with a technical complexity at its core approach, the same natural carbon-capture process that plants have been conducting internally for millions of years.
Rubi
Rubi is a biochemical company that pioneers the reuse of carbon emissions in textiles. They have created the first yarn made directly from carbon emissions using an enzymatic process. It was founded in 2020 by sisters Neeka and Leila Mashouf. In March of this year, Rubi started the collaboration with fashion brands Ganni, Reformation, Patagonia, and Nuuly for their pilot project.
Ganni
Ganni is a Scandinavian B Corp certified brand founded in 2009 by Nicolai and Ditte Reffstrup. Ganni is deeply committed to the environment, promoting responsible fashion and aiming to reduce its carbon emissions by 50% by 2027.
