The Eco Future Is So Bright, Pangaia Lab x Twelve Wants Us to Wear Shades

Sustainability

Pangaia Lab x Twelve aims to show that it is possible to create products that have the double impact of capturing and utilizing CO2 emissions while avoiding the use of traditional fossil fuel–based plastics. The eyewear collection is available in blue, black and silver. | Photo courtesy of Pangaia Lab x Twelve

Pangaia Lab x Twelve aims to show that it is possible to create products that have the double impact of capturing and utilizing CO2 emissions while avoiding the use of traditional fossil fuel–based plastics. The eyewear collection is available in blue, black and silver. | Photo courtesy of Pangaia Lab x Twelve

As of Thursday, October 14, 2021

Within the last year, scientists have reported the development of a method to channel CO2 emissions into a resource that can serve as the foundation for manufacturing products including electronics, cars, clothing and accessories with the technology serving as a replacement for fossil fuel–based plastics. These building blocks have led the London-headquartered material-sciences company Pangaia to partner with the San Francisco Bay Area–based carbon-transformation company Twelve on a collection of eyewear whose sunglass lenses are created from CO2.

“Pangaia is working to be a climate-positive business, and that means closing the carbon loop and providing a viable pathway to a fossil-free future,” said Pangaia Chief Innovation Officer Dr. Amanda Parkes. “We were excited to partner with Twelve to bring this product to life and show it is possible to create products that have the double impact of capturing and utilizing CO2 emissions while avoiding the use of traditional fossil fuel–based plastics.”

Coinciding with the partnership, the materials-sciences company also announced the launch of Pangaia Lab, which serves as a platform through which Pangaia announces advanced technology. The release of Pangaia’s first eyewear collection with Twelve was announced under the partnership of Pangaia Lab x Twelve.

“[Pangaia Lab] is a place for us to launch our most innovative products—ones that due to their cutting-edge nature may be released in limited quantities and at higher price points before they reach scale for full integration into the main Pangaia product line and the technology can be available for wider industry use,” Parkes explained. “Through Pangaia Lab, we will be able to promote consumer education around our new technologies and also promote industrywide adoption through viable products.”

According to the companies, the transformation of carbon that Twelve applies is a process that mimics the photosynthesis that plants employ to create oxygen by using sunlight to process carbon dioxide. This technology is able to be integrated into existing systems within the supply chain, affording an innovative alternative to plastics while also creating a space in which CO2 can be channeled and utilized rather than trapped in the environment.

“Twelve’s carbon-transformation technology works like a form of the industrial photosynthetic process, which takes in CO2 emissions and combined with water and renewable energy can be transformed into critical chemical precursors that are the building blocks for everyday materials like plastics,” said Parkes. “Twelve’s process naturally lends itself to the creation of CO2Made feedstocks for polycarbonate, a durable and high-performance plastic, which is difficult to replicate in bio-based materials but is perfect for eyewear lenses.”

Through its work shifting materials sourcing into a solution that affords a more sustainable product and provides a use for the abundance of CO2 emissions, Twelve is ready to apply its technology across industries. The company is in discussions with other brands within fashion, technology, home goods, construction, automotive and space exploration. Nicholas Flanders, co-founder and chief executive officer of Twelve, notes that the time is now for committing to this type of environmental change.

“Our global economy is at a critical point for climate action, where brands and organizations are stepping up to reduce their environmental footprints and build sustainable supply chains,” Flanders said. “We’re delighted to be partnering with Pangaia, a company committed to making a deep impact through climate action, on a pioneering launch that demonstrates how brands can source carbon from emissions while continuing to make the products customers love. CO2Made means no trade-offs.”

In order to create a circular economy by closing the loop on sourcing, Pangaia has remained committed to examining fresh technologies, remaining on the edge of new innovations that will promote its ecological mission. The Pangaia Lab x Twelve partnership aligns fully with the materials-sciences company’s goals to expand its influence into new products.

“We are always looking to utilize waste streams, places where there is an abundance of nature, which can be augmented in functionality by high-tech processes,” Parkes said. “The technological process developed by the team at Twelve is a wonderful example of this. We knew this would be a great partnership to showcase innovation in CO2 capture and utilization as an alternative to the use of traditional fossil fuel–based plastics in eyewear.”

At a direct-to-consumer cost of $495, Pangaia Lab x Twelve sunglasses in black, blue or silver are available via a waitlist at thepangaia.com.