According to the Greenpeace Detoxreport 2021, the fashion industry is the third largest CO2-polluting supply chain in the world and is responsible for five percent of global supply chain emissions. In the EU, the private consumption of textiles, with an annual consumption of around 1,3 tons of raw materials and more than 100 cubic meters of water per person, is the fourth largest cause of environmental pollution after food, housing and transport.
A small but powerful enzyme called Rubsico is supposed to bring the solution. The company Rubi Laboratories was inspired by nature and its cycle. It uses Rubisco, which is a component found in plants and drives their photosynthesis to reduce carbon negative textiles to manufacture.
A world where human prosperity is planet positive?
After all, this is the vision of the two twin sisters and founders Neeka and Leila Mashouf of Rubi. With their groundbreaking technology, the two scientists are creating a future in which textiles are to be developed through a circular carbon economy.
"To save our planet, we need to rethink global industry and production methods beyond fashion and across industries" - Neeka & Leila Mashouf
The traditional technologies for textile production are known to be associated with massive CO2 pollution and resource shortages. As a result, fashion labels often have very limited opportunities to meet their all-important sustainability commitments while still selling their products.
Source & Copyright by Rubi Laboratories
The solution: Sustainable supply chains with Rubi technology
Rubi's process skips the harmful water-, land- and chemical-intensive steps typically used to grow and process vegetable fibers for the fashion industry. Instead, the cellulose fibers are synthesized directly using CO2. This is an innovative technology that drives biochemical processes on an industrial scale through the use of enzymes. So the result is a viscose-Substitute.
The enzymes used are able to "eat" the emissions. This means that CO2-negative, resource-neutral cellulose textiles are made from carbon dioxide or methane. A process that promotes the binding of greenhouse gases symbiotically and in harmony with nature. Another positive effect: the process is 100% traceable and the product is biodegradable. According to Rubi, every garment made with Rubi technology removes pure CO2 from the atmosphere in about 2 bathtubs.
Source & Copyright by Rubi Laboratories
A ray of hope for the fashion industry
The innovative company has now raised over $4,5 million in funds to bring eco-friendly textiles to the fashion industry and advance its technology. No other industry is under attack like fashion. The standards for sustainable solutions must therefore be particularly smart and scientifically sound. The innovation of the two sisters is therefore revolutionizing the supply chain by removing CO2 from the atmosphere with every garment produced.
