lululemon, Geno introduce first renewably sourced, plant-based nylon products
Image credit: lululemon
lululemon has launched its first products made from renewably sourced,
plant-based nylon. As part of a long-term partnership with sustainable materials
leader Geno, the new material behind the
high-performance shirts delivers the same feel as conventional nylon — the
lightweight, quick-drying material that makes up the majority of lululemon
apparel. The innovation is an example of the brand's Be
Planet goals — which center on
making 100 percent of its products with sustainable materials by 2030.
“We’ve been working on plant-based nylon with our partner Geno for almost two
years, testing ways to integrate this groundbreaking material with our product
philosophy of creating products to help our guests feel their best,” says
Esther Speck, SVP of Global
Sustainable Business and Impact. “The launch of our first plant-based nylon
products is an example of lululemon’s environmental commitments in action and
what’s to come on our journey toward net zero.”
In 2021, lululemon made its first-ever equity investment in
Geno
— a materials innovator that has pioneered plant-based and renewable
alternatives to conventional
fabrics
and
chemicals.
Now, lululemon’s plant-based nylon re-envisions the decades-old method of
petroleum-based nylon production, creating a lower-impact alternative to an
important material in the performance apparel industry.
Transforming fashion through materials innovation
Join us as leaders from Crocs, Hilos, Marchon Eyewear, Planet FWD and Target discuss real-world examples, practical strategies, and supply chain considerations for developing eco-friendly clothing, shoes, and accessories that minimize waste and protect the planet — Tuesday, Oct. 15, at SB'24 San Diego.
"Today marks a major achievement: biotechnology has successfully fermented plant
sugars into the chemical building blocks used to make nylon — bringing to life a
renewable, plant-based nylon,” says Geno CEO and founder Christophe
Schilling. “Together
with lululemon, Geno is opening a new chapter for plant-based nylon and
accelerating the sustainable materials transition. We’re proud that this
partnership is disrupting the $22 billion dollar nylon market; and with
lululemon, we will be accelerating the sustainable materials transition at scale
— and this is only the beginning.”
Bestseller, Inditex, Reformation prototype Kintra Fibers’ biobased polyester
Image credit: Kintra Fibers
Speaking of plant-based alternatives to traditionally fossil-based fabrics (in
this case, polyester), BESTSELLER, Inditex and Reformation have come
together as a consortium to prototype Kintra
Fibers' materials in their product lines, driven
by a shared goal to explore more sustainable materials and processes.
With a successful $8 million Series A funding round in December, Kintra Fibers
— a material science company that makes high-performance, 100 percent bio-based
and compostable, synthetic yarns for the fashion and apparel industry — is
positioned to scale its resin and yarn production capacities in line with the
volume demands of their brand partners, which also include
Pangaia.
Kintra's fibers are a biodegradable and compostable form of polyester called
polybutylene succinate (PBS), which is currently derived from corn instead of
fossil fuels. The funding was led by H&M
Group with
participation from BESTSELLER Invest FWD, Fashion for Good, New York
Ventures, TRE Ventures, Tech Council Ventures, FAB Ventures and a
group of fashion industry angel investors.
Kintra's material shows impressive strength and durability comparable to
traditional polyester, while also being much softer. Additionally, the material
possesses an inherent stretch quality, with yarn test results indicating a
stretch recovery of 10-15 percent, resulting in a comfortable stretch. The team
has tested these properties in various fabric constructions — including
silk-like satin wovens, technical outerwear wovens, and knits produced using
air-jet texturing and draw-texturing processes.
“Kintra's solution aligns with both nature and existing industrial processes,”
says COO and co-founder Alissa
Baier-Lentz. “By utilizing
bio-based inputs and designing a biodegradable material from the outset, Kintra
addresses the environmental impact caused by traditional polyester at every
stage, from production to usage and end-of-life, providing a comprehensive
solution for a truly circular fashion industry.”
This unique combination of strength, softness, and comfort stretch recovery
produces a material with an ultra-soft hand feel and elegant drape without
compromising the garment's durability and longevity. This blend of
characteristics has additional environmental benefits since textile engineers
generally require blending traditional polyester with cotton and
spandex
to achieve a soft, strong, and comfortable stretch material. Kintra's
mono-material construction provides all of these performance benefits, while
also making recycling easier.
"Given the significant environmental impact of traditional polyester and the
expected growth of the synthetic fiber market, there is a clear need for the
industry to change,” says Camilla Skjønning
Jørgensen,
Innovation Manager at BESTSELLER. “Kintra Fibers fits our Invest FWD strategy
where we continuously investigate alternative fibers for long-term viability,
and we are excited to be among the brands taking action to help Kintra Fibers
scale its promising solution."
Kintra Fibers estimates its environmental impact by comparing its raw materials
and resin-production processes to traditional polyester — the company estimates
its resin production could result in a 95 percent reduction in GHG emissions, a
30 percent reduction in water usage, and a 20 percent reduction in energy
consumption. The team anticipates even greater energy savings when it completes
a full lifecycle assessment, as its preliminary analysis did not include yarn
spinning, dyeing or finishing — for which Kintra uses a lower temperature than
traditional polyester, which could result fewer Scope 3 emissions in the
manufacturing supply chain.
“We’re proud to collaborate with Kintra Fibers and Fashion for Good as part of
the first consortium of brands to prototype Kintra’s materials,” says Kathleen
Talbot, Chief Sustainability
Officer and VP of Operations at Reformation. “Innovations like this that help
reduce our reliance on fossil fuel-based synthetics are essential to our
sustainability efforts at Reformation, particularly our goal to be Climate
Positive by 2025. It’s on us as an industry to take an active role in scaling
next generation solutions, like Kintra, that have the potential to power the
future of fashion.”
H&M MOVE capsule collection features LanzaTech’s CarbonSmart™ polyester
Image credit: H&M Move
Meanwhile, H&M
Move
joins
lululemon
and
On
in partnering with carbon-capture and -transformation leader
LanzaTech to integrate materials made from captured
carbon emissions into its offerings.
H&M Move has launched three garments made from LanzaTech’s CarbonSmart™
polyester and infused them with its own DryMove™ technology — a trademarked
material that pulls away moisture from the skin and keeps Movers comfortable and
dry while moving.
“In collaboration with LanzaTech, we are thrilled to offer our customers a
capsule collection made of CarbonSmart™ polyester, a ground-breaking material
using repurposed carbon emissions. This partnership enables H&M Move to explore
innovative materials and playing our part in helping to create more sustainable
sportswear in the future,” says Simon
Brown, General Manager at
H&M Move.
Using three simple steps, LanzaTech captures carbon emissions from steel mills,
traps them in bioreactors and converts them into the same building blocks as
conventional polyester — simultaneously sequestering climate-changing gases and avoiding
the need for virgin fossil resources to make new products.
“The innovations in the textile industry today focus on sustainability for a
better world,” says LanzaTech CEO Jennifer
Holmgren. “We are proud
to partner with H&M Move on this drop, which reflects ways to rethink how we
make and how we experience our clothing.”
Get the latest insights, trends, and innovations to help position yourself at the forefront of sustainable business leadership—delivered straight to your inbox.
Sustainable Brands Staff
Published Apr 21, 2023 8am EDT / 5am PDT / 1pm BST / 2pm CEST