STOCKHOLM - H&M-backed researchers are testing an innovation which aims to enable cotton garments to capture carbon dioxide emissions from the air and release them as nutrition for plants.
The Carbon Looper project, developed as part of the Planet First programme of the H&M Foundation and the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA), is being tested with aprons worn by restaurant staff at the internationally-renowned Fotografiska museum in Stockholm.
Cotton garments are treated with an amine-containing solution that makes the surface of the fabric capture carbon dioxide from the air. The CO2 can then be released by heating the fabric to 30-40°C in a greenhouse where it is absorbed by plants during photosynthesis.
