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The fast fashion giant has partnered with LanzaTech on a capsule collection featuring fabric made from recycled steel plant carbon emissions.
If you read about H&M’s shift to sustainability last month, like me, you may be feeling somewhat relieved that fast fashion appears to have heard our unceasing cries and is gearing up to adopt environmentally-friendlier practices in the new year.
While there is, of course, a great deal more to be done before we can confirm that the industry has truly changed its ways and is no longer heavily contributing to our planet’s destruction, news of prominent brands choosing to take steps in the right direction is certainly enough to instil a sense of hope within all of us.
That’s why, just this morning, I was delighted to find out that Zara – the kingpin of churning out microtrend-driven clothing – has partnered with start-up LanzaTech on a capsule collection featuring fabric made with recycled steel plant carbon emissions.
Essentially, if you’re keen to go full glam this holiday season without playing into the disposable culture we’ve become so used to, a little black dress made out of pollution is looking like it could well be the answer.
How’s it made; you ask? With CarbonSmart™ technology that’s able to capture CO2 from a steel plant in China, which would otherwise be emitted into the atmosphere.
These emissions are then converted into ethanol (something that would normally derive from fossil fuels) using microbes and processed into monoethylene glycol, a component of the polyester manufacturing process.
In case this all sounds a little complicated, think of it like a brewery, but instead of yeast turning sugars into beer, bacteria are fermenting pollution into the yarn that Zara’s weaving into LBDs.
Pretty cool, eh? Even more so when you consider that the move implies LanzaTech is making progress towards deploying its carbon capture and conversion technologies across a host of sectors, including agriculture and waste processing.
‘We are hugely excited about this collaboration which brings fashion made from waste carbon emissions to the market,’ says the company’s CEO, Jennifer Holmgren.
‘We have the technology to help fashion brands and retailers limit their carbon impact. By working with Zara, we have found a new pathway to recycle carbon emissions to make fabric.’
Yes, it might sound like yet another bout of lip service – fashion simply jumping on more trends while they’re hot and perpetuating the greenwashing problem we’d all like to leave in 2021 – but Zara’s new collection is a solid commitment to the circular economy model and it does present a solution to an issue that won’t be fixed overnight.
Not to mention you’ll be the talk of the Christmas party once everyone finds out you’re wearing pollution.
