Turning CO2 Into Fashion: The Future of Materials

Using CO2 emissions as a source material instead of virgin fossil fuels has incredible potential. In recent years, emerging technologies capturing CO2 emissions from the atmosphere have raised significant interest from various industries and could help meet the Paris Agreement’s goal to keep temperature increases below 1.5°C. The fashion and textile industry, heavily reliant on fossil fuels for synthetic fibres like polyester and nylon, needs to cut greenhouse gas emissions associated with these materials to meet climate targets.

In April of this year, the global non-profit Textile Exchange released The Future of Synthetics report urging the fashion, apparel and textile industry to cease new fossil fuel extraction for synthetic materials. As these materials represent 64% of all fibres used in the industry, removing them entirely would be challenging but it is possible to adopt more responsible alternatives. One promising option is carbon-capture technology, with innovators working to transform carbon emissions into raw materials for the next generation of circular products. However, this technology needs further research, development and scaling, representing a real opportunity for brands to be early adopters and leaders in this pivotal shift.

Carbon-capture technologies offer two ground-breaking benefits: they can provide the same chemical input as virgin fossil fuels without environmental damage and reduce atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions. As the fashion and textile industry seeks to move away from virgin fossil-based inputs, using waste CO2 to create new materials, including cotton and viscose, presents a unique advantage. Various technologies currently exist to capture waste carbon emissions from different sources. The most common method captures gas from a single source, such as factories and power plants, and prevents it from getting released into the atmosphere. Direct air capture, on the other hand, extracts CO2 directly from the atmosphere and is more challenging due to the dilution of CO2 in the air, hence requires more energy and funds to produce. The CO2 is then separated from other gases and converted into a resource for producing new materials.

Currently, these innovations are mostly in the lab or research stage and are slowly entering the commercial market. They focus on developing polyester and polyurethane partially made from carbon-captures synthetics (10 to 30%). The challenge is now to find a sustainable solution for the remaining fossil-based component, which will play a major role in the technologies’ success. Although it’s still a costly alternative needing support to scale, carbon capture can be a drop-in solution in existing infrastructure to produce alternative materials.

Partnerships between brands, tech companies, and suppliers is crucial to move the needle forward. At the end of 2023, Swiss sportswear brand On released a first apparel collection made from CleanCloudÒ, a polyester produced by carbon-capture company LanzaTech replacing 20% of conventional PET in the fabric and equally reducing emissions by 20% compared to virgin polyester. They managed to move from proposal to production quickly by making use of current production facilities and partnerships with pioneering companies. According to On, “The foundation of open conversations, honesty, and a trust-based relationship with partners that embrace the technology and are open to continual innovation and improvements is key.”

LanzaTech is now working on combining the carbon-capture material with renewable technologies to address the remaining 70% and create a fully circular solution with an improved carbon footprint. An alternative involves transforming textile waste into gas that could be used with carbon-capture technologies, diverting the industry from using plastic bottles as a source for recycled polyester, which is problematic as it breaks the circular system. Another carbon capture innovator to watch is NewLight Technologies, whose AirCarbon material absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere using renewable energy. Mimicking a natural process, the company uses microorganisms to convert air and greenhouse gas into a biomaterial that can be melted and formed into products, then returned to nature as compost at the end of its lifecycle. Since 2019, AirCarbon has been produced on a commercial scale and adopted by brands like Nike and H&M.

The luxury industry is also recognising the potential of carbon-capture technologies, particularly with diamonds made from pure carbon. Founded in the UK by eco-entrepreneur Dale Vince, Skydiamond sequesters carbon from the atmosphere to make diamonds using wind and solar energy and rainwater, all sourced locally, in a unique patented process. “We are driven by the pursuit of sustainability, using technology and innovation to discover creative solutions to inspire ‘another way’,” explains Madelein Macey, CEO of Skydiamond. “Our customers can enjoy the things they love without compromise and invest in a better future.” Certified by AnchorCert using the 4 C’s grading – cut, colour, clarity and carat – each diamond comes with a negative carbon footprint, without offsetting, and differs from other lab-grown diamonds that typically require a high amount of energy to produce.

Although carbon-capture technologies show promising results, many technical and economic challenges remain to scale and implement these materials. There is also a lack of clear impact data on CO2 emission reductions and no certifications to ensure traceability yet. This will be needed to effectively explain to both consumers and the industry how these technologies work and avoid greenwashing. Textile Exchange’s Future of Synthetics report emphasises that carbon capture is one of many solutions for the fashion and textile industry to achieve its impact goals. However, more research and investment are needed to create a future where emissions contributing to global warming are transformed into innovative products that stand the test of time.