Brands tackling carbon emissions: a look at industry initiatives and innovations

Throughout November, we are looking at the innovative brands tackling carbon emissions across industry sectors -from beauty and fashion to food & beverage, product design and materials, to technology, travel & hospitality.

Part 2: Materials and products

With scientists warning that 10 gigatonnes of net CO2 will need to be removed from the atmosphere to keep the global temperature rise under 1.5°C by 2050, the urgent quest to meet net zero (or, increasingly, carbon positive) goals is sparking a cross-industry wave of innovation. As such, eco-minded brands are not only looking to reduce emissions but also exploring carbon sequestration – a sector that’s set to be worth $15.5bn by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 12.3% (Research & Markets, 2021).

Below, we look at the material and product industry leaders tackling carbon emissions

OurCarbon has developed a ‘carbon-locked’ biochar material from organic waste, suitable for use in ceramics. The US start-up’s first product is a ceramic planter, made from a custom porcelain-biochar mix. Markedly, the material is self-glazing, thanks to traces of silica that melt down into a glass-like surface when fired.

Glass container manufacturer Encirc and research non-profit Glass Futures, both in the UK, are leading a project to decarbonise glass bottle production. By using 100% recycled glass and energy from only ultra-low-carbon renewable biofuels, the pioneering process can reduce the carbon footprint of a bottle by up to 90%. Numerous beverage brands (among them Diageo, Heineken and Carlsberg) have joined the partnership to trial their own sustainable bottles.

Canadian athleisure brand Lululemon has joined forces with the aforementioned LanzaTech to create yarn and fabric derived from recycled carbon emissions. Working with Indian chemical manufacturing company India Glycols and Taiwanese textile manufacturer Far Eastern New Century, the scheme converts industrial emissions into ethanol through a biological process, then into polyester. The new material matches the properties and functionality of virgin polyester.

Seville-based Graphenstone’s range of CO2-absorbing paints are suitable for interior and exterior use. The company combines lime with graphene technology for a carcinogen-free paint that filters the air as the lime carbonates over time. The paint is being adopted by global street artists to support cities’ clean-air initiatives.

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Image credit: OurCarbon, Encirc x Glass Futures, Lululemon, Graphenstone

Multinational drinks company AB InBev offers the world’s lightest longneck beer bottle for commercial production. By reducing the weight from 180g to 150g, it cuts the CO2 emissions of shipping each bottle by 17% (equivalent to taking 62,000 cars off the road annually) while meeting industry standards for safety and quality.

Two Norwegian firms are piloting the production of a more sustainable, low-carbon concrete. Architects Snøhetta and start-up Saferock’s product is centred on geopolymer concrete – a lower-emission alternative to the established ordinary portland cement (OPC) – which has the potential to reduce associated emissions by more than 70%.

Another company innovating cement is Canada’s Carbicrete. Its mixture comprises waste slag from the steel industry and carbon captured from industrial plants, eliminating environmentally damaging mineral-based cement. The material also stores more carbon than it emits during the manufacturing process, making it carbon negative.

US lab Sway has reimagined single-use plastic retail bags with a seaweed-derived, bio-based, compostable and carbon-negative alternative. The innovative material matches the strength and performance of traditional plastic.

Image credit: AB InBev, Snohetta x Saferock, Carbicrete, Sway

German carbon-negative materials company Made of Air has formulated a biochar-based bioplastic made from locally sourced agricultural and forest waste. The recyclable material is 90% carbon, and stores two tonnes of CO2 for every tonne of plastic. Potential applications range from building facades and infrastructure to product design; recent examples include a pair of limited-edition sunglasses for H&M and cladding for an Audi dealership in Munich.

Nexiite is a concrete alternative from Canadian construction tech start-up Nexii. The material contains around 30% less embodied carbon than regular concrete walls, and 43% less carbon than steel stud walls – allowing for the rapid construction of sustainable buildings, with a zero-waste model.

Omani start-up 44.01 has devised a process that converts carbon dioxide from the air and water into harmless stone. The technology is based on natural mineralisation and uses the mineral peridotite, which reacts with carbon dioxide and water to produce calcite. 44.01’s goal is to mineralise one gigatonne of CO2 from the atmosphere by 2030, targeting natural carbon sinks found throughout Oman and the UAE.

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Image credit: Made of Air, Nexii, 44.01

US company Gradient is working on a hybrid air-conditioning unit that offers heating and cooling capabilities with a reduced carbon footprint. The easy-to-install device is expected to have a 75% reduced footprint compared to existing HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning) systems.

Sony has developed its own carbon-conscious paper packaging material. Strong, durable and versatile, Original Blended Material (OBM) is made from a mix of bamboo, sugarcane fibre and post-consumer recycled paper. Bamboo and sugarcane both have short growth cycles (meaning they can be grown quickly and harvested as needed), so in turn, have shorter CO2 absorption/emission cycles. Additionally, sugarcane fibre (pomace) – a by-product of sugar production – is typically burned as fuel for power generation; repurposing this residue helps to eliminate further carbon emissions.

US jewellery brand Aether turns captured carbon into ‘carbon-negative’ diamonds. CO2 is synthesised into a usable hydrocarbon raw material before being placed in reactors. Over a three- to four-week period, the carbon ‘grows’ into crystalline forms (or rough diamonds), which are then cut, polished and set into jewellery by hand. For every one-carat diamond, the brand removes 20 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere.

Three Dutch manufacturers – bioplastics specialist Plantics, furniture maker VepaDrentea and hemp producer HempFlax – have together developed a carbon-negative, recyclable and biodegradable biocomposite that’s suitable for furniture. Its carbon-negative credential comes from hemp’s impressive carbon sequestering abilities, meaning the entire production process absorbs more CO2 than it emits.

Californian start-up Twelve is working towards a circular, non-extractive, fossil-free future with its innovative carbon transformation technology. The process is an artificial version of photosynthesis, where CO2, water and sunlight are broken down and transformed into carbon. This is then turned into other molecules, like ethylene, which can be used to make a plethora of materials – from alternative chemicals and fuels to plastics.