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Rubi Labs is one of the H&M Global Change Award winners

Camilla Rydzek
07 April 2022

Rubi Laboratories, which creates viscose made of carbon emissions captured from the air, is one of the five winners of this year's H&M Global Change Award.

The start-up recently raised £3.3 million ($4.5 million) in seed funding to enable continued research and development and to drive commercialisation.

Rubi said that it had validated its technology by creating a successful prototype, and is agreeing test plans with numerous tier-one global retail and fashion brands. It was founded by the sisters Leila and Neeka Mashouf, both scientists who combined their shared knowledge in biotechnology, material science and business to launch the start-up in 2020.

The Co-Founders commented: “The Rubi team is thrilled to win the 2022 Global Change Award and for the opportunity that the program provides to accelerate commercialisation of our carbon-negative textiles technology in the fashion industry. Together, we look forward to making planet-positive supply chains a reality, sooner than you think!”

The other four winners of the competition include Saltyco, a business that creates a planet positive alternative to goose down made from plants that heal damaged land and Re:Lastane, which has created the first mild chemical process for making elastane and polyester blend fabrics recyclable.

They are joined by Biorestore, a laundry solution that restores old and worn garments to mint condition and Cottonace, an AI solution that reduces pesticide use, increases yield and raises incomes for smallholder cotton farmers.

The H&M Global Change Awards is one of the biggest innovation challenges in the world, and focuses on early stage concepts that aim to create a more sustainable future for fashion.

It is put on by the H&M Foundation, a non-profit arm of the H&M Group and was launched in 2015. Every year an increasing number of entrepreneurs have participated, with the five most promising innovations sharing a €1 million grant and joining a one-year tailor-made Innovation Accelerator Program.

The winners are not obligated to work with the H&M Group in the future, with neither the company or Foundation taking any shareholder equity or intellectual property rights in the innovations.

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