Global decarbonisation plans often feature large-scale carbon capture and removal. Both are costly technologies that have been attacked by climate activists for their scalability issues and limited impact.
It is for this reason that materials scientist and Chief Technological Officer Jatin Kumar and his team at Xinterra have developed an alternative solution to rocketing carbon emissions they believe can plug such gaps.
With Cozterra, carbon dioxide is captured on textiles, converted into a harmless mineral, and then washed away with regular detergents. In one day, 20 T-shirts treated with Cozterra can absorb as much carbon dioxide as a mature tree.
“The whole idea is to empower humans to become carbon capture agents. It weans us off our collective dependence on monolithic governments and corporations to act decisively on climate change. ”
Jatin Kumar on the inspiration behind Cozterra
Among Xinterra’s early adopters are Singapore labels Zoda and Kemunna, as well as a Brazilian ethical fashion platform called Malwee. The last debuted its Cozterra treated T-shirt at London Fashion Week.
The intersection between material science and sustainability has long been studied by researchers exploring ways to harness materials with a reduced environmental impact. In Jatin’s case, it was an enduring area of focus throughout his career as a scientist at A*star’s Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, where the chemical engineer by training delved into creating and manipulating polymers with a myriad applications—from anti-terrorism to nanomedicine.
After years of trial-and-error experimentation, he’d grown impatient with how long innovation took. As a way of leaping the bounds, he began dabbling in AI. Thus, when he and his colleagues were shut out of their laboratories during the pandemic, they established Xinterra, which develops and commercialises sustainable materials faster than traditional set-ups.
Cozterra is not the company’s only breakthrough. Jatin, 42, says Xinterra has helped companies in industries, such as paint, pulp and paper, and commodity plastics achieve target performance and reduce costs. With its efforts to expand Cozterra’s applications for materials such as polyester, as well as three upcoming novel products, the company is set to remain at the forefront of material science sustainability.
Jatin is all for using technology to combat climate change and to tip the scales in favour of the planet. “Paralysis by analysis can result in people not taking action because they don’t believe it will make much of a difference. To that, I say, “If a billion people create a billion drops, that’s a lot of water.”
Art direction: Ed Harland
Photography: Cher Him
Hair & makeup: Wee Ming using Chanel beauty & Schwarzkopf Professional
