Next big thing: Fabrics of wood pulp?
The Swedish company Treetotextile was founded three years ago with the goal of using wood pulp, or cellulose, to make textile fibers in an environmentally friendly manner.
"Demand for environmentally-friendly textile fibers, based on renewable raw materials from forests, continues to increase," Treetotextile said in its annual report.
Treetotextile CEO Lars Stigsson, a chemist who has founded several companies and teaches at Lund University, owns one-third of the company. H&M and Ikea own the rest; both have previously financed research in green tech, but Treetotextile is the first company they own together.
Treetotextile is its early phase, according to a release from H&M. "We have a long-term perspective on all investments, and with this project, where we partner with Ikea, we believe we will be able to contribute to a more sustainable future textile production," H&M said in the release.