Hugo Boss AG announced on February 14th that it has invested $5 million in new material that captures CO2 as part of its goal to phase out oil-based fibers. The German fashion house will invest an additional contingent $4 million based on performance milestone arrangements.
It is a sustainable yarn developed by HeiQ AeoniQ LLC which is a fully owned subsidiary of London listed HeiQ Plc – the innovative leader in textile production. The HeiQ AeoniQ yarn is made out of climate-positive raw materials and can replace oil-based fibers like polyester and nylon, responsible for considerable carbon emissions.
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The yarn consists of cellulosic biopolymers that capture and sequester CO2 when growing. The biopolymers are produced from biomass coming from non-food crops. They are sustainable and carbon neutral as they are always renewable and made from plant materials that can be grown indefinitely.
Biopolymers cut carbon emissions as the CO2 they capture during growth is not released back into the atmosphere. They don’t degrade but instead, they are used in the industry to make materials. This makes them close to carbon neutral. Furthermore, they replace oil-based materials which also saves carbon. For every ton of polyester and nylon substituted by HeiQ AeoniQ, potentially up to 5 tons of CO2 can be reduced.
In addition, the production of HeiQ AeoniQ yarn has the potential to transform the environmental impact of fiber production. The new material that captures CO2 is designed to be circular, uses 100% renewable energy for manufacturing and no toxic chemicals, and does not draw on arable land, pesticides or fertilizers for its feedstock.
The new partnership will help Hugo Boss meet its ambitious sustainability targets which include achieving climate neutrality throughout the entire value chain by 2045. The company also aims to establish an end-to-end circular business model.
The strategic investment fits in with the company’s goal to strongly increase the proportion of more sustainable materials over the coming years. According to Hugo Boss, in the medium to long term, it plans to complement and substitute entirely the currently used polyester and nylon fibers with the cellulosic HeiQ AeoniQ fibers.
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“Our exciting partnership with HeiQ on HeiQ AeoniQ represents yet another important milestone on our journey towards becoming the leading premium tech-driven fashion platform worldwide… This game-changing collaboration with HeiQ enables us to further push innovation and sustainability across our brands’ offerings, thereby driving measurable impact for environment and society alike,” said Daniel Grieder, CEO of Hugo Boss.
The participation in climate-friendly initiatives from leading global fashion brands like Hugo Boss could encourage other fashion houses to follow suit and use 100% sustainable materials like the HeiQ AeoniQ yarn when making their garments. Increasing the demand for CO2 capturing technologies in each industry is needed to make a considerable difference in global carbon footprint.
