Retail giant Walmart and Rubi Laboratories, a pioneering biotechnology firm focused on utilizing carbon capture for producing goods, have embarked on an innovative collaboration aimed at enhancing Walmart’s supply chain and product catalog.
The two companies will collaborate on a set of experimental initiatives to investigate the possibility of implementing Rubi’s distinct modular carbon capture and utilization technology in Walmart’s supply chain and utilizing the trapped carbon dioxide to generate materials for sustainable textiles.
Rubi is a trailblazing biotech company founded to reinvent supply chains in a way that’s not damaging to nature. The mechanism behind their technology captures CO2 released in conventional textile manufacturing processes and uses those emissions in biochemical processes where, under the influence of enzymes, the harmful carbon dioxide is converted into cellulose. The cellulose pulp can then be turned into fibers, yarn, and textiles that can be used for standard fabric production.
Originally, their effort was concentrated on promoting sustainability in fashion and textile supply chains, but their technology can help address environmental issues in the construction industry as well as in food and medicine production and other related sectors.
This collaboration is one of Walmart’s many sustainability initiatives. The one-stop shopping titan has been collaborating with suppliers, NGOs, and climate ambassadors to motivate positive transformation throughout global value chains since 2005.
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In its own operations, Walmart has set a target to have 50% of its energy come from renewable sources by 2025 and 100% by 2035. Their Project Gigaton™ initiative catalyzed the active participation of over 5,200 suppliers worldwide, and data from 2022 shows that these suppliers have collectively reported a reduction or avoidance of over 750 million metric tons of carbon emissions since 2017.
Walmart plans to utilize Rubi’s technology in the manufacturing and clothing sectors. They will integrate the innovative carbon capture mechanism into their manufacturing process and utilize the resulting cellulose to create a prototype clothing line.
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