Novel solution to pollution: Swiss sportswear company makes clothes using carbon emissions, pollutants

The dangerous AQI levels that several Indian cities, especially New Delhi has been facing for some time now, clearly shows that we need realistic, nuanced and creative solutions for air pollution, and we need it fast. Maybe, we should be taking a cue from the Swiss.

On, a Swiss sportswear brand, is launching a new line of T-shirts, tanks, and shorts called the Pace collection, which incorporates polyester made, in part, from carbon emissions. On collaborated with LanzaTech, a biotech company specialising in transforming emissions and pollutants into chemicals using bacteria.

Traditionally, polyester clothing is produced using ethanol derived from petroleum or gas. However, On’s innovative process involves capturing gas from a steel mill in China and feeding it to microbes in bioreactors, a method akin to brewing beer. The byproducts generated in this process are then converted into ethanol, which is further used in the production of polyester.

Nils Atrogge, Head of Innovation Portfolio Strategy at On, expressed the company’s commitment to moving away from fossil-based resources entirely. Sixty-four per cent of the material used by On in apparel and accessories is already fossil-free, and the Pace collection represents a significant step forward in achieving their goal in technical sportswear.

The final material, known as CleanCloud, is engineered into a performance fabric designed by On’s material design teams for high functionality and aesthetics suitable for activities like running.

While other clothing brands have launched capsule collections in collaboration with LanzaTech, On aims to make the material an ongoing part of its supply chain. Currently, it is possible to make a material from 20 per cent recycled emissions, as polyester comprises 20 per cent ethylene glycol made from ethanol and 80 per cent from another material, PTA, which cannot be derived from CO2. On is also exploring methods to de-fossilize PTA.

Reducing environmental impact is a key element of On’s company strategy, with a focus on pioneering sustainable technologies. Despite potential higher costs in the beginning for certain materials, On believes it is a necessary step to create awareness and demand, ultimately accelerating the economics of scale.

The company hopes that the Pace collection will showcase consumer demand for more sustainable options and encourage similar initiatives across the apparel industry.