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Patagonia invests in CO2Nexus

Outdoor apparel company Patagonia has announced a strategic investment in CO2Nexus, a company that has developed a sustainable method of processing textiles and garments using liquid carbon dioxide. The investment is made through the company’s $20 Million & Change fund, launched in 2013 to help innovative startup companies bring about solutions to the environmental crisis through business. The investment caps a Series A round of investment for CO2Nexus, based in Denver, CO.

23rd April 2014

Innovation in Textiles
 |  Ventura, CA

Sustainable, Industrial

Outdoor apparel company Patagonia has announced a strategic investment in CO2Nexus, a company that has developed a sustainable method of processing textiles and garments using liquid carbon dioxide.

The investment is made through the company’s $20 Million & Change fund, launched in 2013 to help innovative startup companies bring about solutions to the environmental crisis through business. The investment caps a Series A round of investment for CO2Nexus, based in Denver, CO.

“Quite simply, processing textiles and apparel requires huge amounts of energy and water – and both are in crisis,” said Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario. “CO2Nexus is a great fit for $20 Million & Change – it’s a young company using business and innovation to bring about positive benefits to the environment. Patagonia is proud to invest in their success.”

Perfect partner

CO2Nexus’ system, called Tersus, can process textiles using the same CO2 that provides fizz to beverages. It is said to be fast, with 20-30 minute cycle times, and require no separate dryer – conserving significant energy as a result.

Outdoor and other apparel items processed with the Tersus system emerge with minimal impact compared to traditional water or solvent-based cleaning methods, the manufacturer reports. Over the course of repeated washes, benefits are said to include down loft enhancement, water repellency, and colour/size/fit consistency.

Most textile processing today is concentrated in regions globally, where water quality is low, which puts even greater strain on already scarce drinking water supplies.  © CO2Nexus

“Patagonia is the perfect partner for us, and for our technology,” said CO2Nexus President and CEO Richard Kinsman. “Their leadership and track record in both textile technology and environmental arenas is unparalleled. We are excited about the opportunities we can jointly pursue up and down the textile value chain.”

Great strain

Traditional textile processing methods are extremely water and energy intensive, consuming up to 100 gallons of water or more for every pound of textile processed, according to industry analysis. That translates to hundreds of billions of gallons of water in the US alone, and trillions worldwide.

Most textile processing today is concentrated in regions globally, where water quality is low, which puts even greater strain on already scarce drinking water supplies, according to Patagonia. 

Strategic investment

$20 Million & Change was created in 2013 as an extension of one core tenant of Patagonia’s three-part mission statement – use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.

According to Patagonia founder and owner Yvon Chouinard, through strategic investments in startups that share this value, Patagonia aims to help entrepreneurs and innovators succeed in working with nature rather than using it up.

www.patagonia.com

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