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H&M Group continues investment in startups to enable a more circular fashion future

The H&M group, via its investment arm, H&M Group Ventures (formerly H&M CO:LAB), leads an investment round in materials science company Kintra Fibers. 

H&M Group, together with other notable investors is proud to announce its recent investment in Kintra Fibers, a highly innovative materials science company that have developed a proprietary bio-based and biodegradable polyester.

Kintra’s material is designed to address the environmental impact caused by traditional polyester at every stage, from the start to end-of-life. By utilizing bio-based inputs and designing a biodegradable material from the outset, Kintra Fibers is aiming to help transform the apparel industry through the commercial application and use of its ground-breaking sustainable fiber.

We are thrilled to have H&M Group as an investor in Kintra Fibers. With their support, we have the unique opportunity to combine our innovative materials technology with their extensive supply chain, deep industry expertise, and market influence, enabling us to accelerate the adoption of sustainable fashion on a global scale.

Billy McCall, CEO and Co-Founder at Kintra Fibers

In addition to enabling it to expand its resin and yarn production capacities, the new funding will help the company support its frontier brand partners, which aside from H&M Group, include other global brands.

Kintra Fibers co-founders Billy McCall and Alissa Baier-Lentz at their Brooklyn, NY lab.
Kintra Fibers co-founders Billy McCall and Alissa Baier-Lentz at their Brooklyn, NY lab.

The group’s investment in Kintra follows on from other exciting and important investments H&M Group has made in this space over the past year. Examples include Materra, a company building climate-resilient farming systems to empower more sustainable cotton supply chains, and Smartex, a deep-tech startup who have developed pioneering solutions to help eliminate waste at the source of the textile manufacturing chain.

H&M Group Ventures has also made a follow-on investment in Colorifix, a biotech company that uses microbiology to produce and fix dye on textiles. Additionally, H&M Group Ventures has recently invested in Rubi, a former Global Change Award winner creating natural textiles made from 100% from carbon emissions, as well as Laced, a UK-based online marketplace specialising in authentic sneakers.

For more reading:

Kintra Fibers: https://www.kintrafibers.com/

For more information about our investments: https://hmgroupventures.com/

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