H&M & Keel Labs: Using Seaweed In Sustainable Fashion
It is estimated that more than two billion tons of solid waste annually ends up in landfills.
H&M has collaborated with Keel Labs, launching a summer line that is manufactured from Kelsun fibre.
What is Kelsun?
Kelsun is a fabric created from the regenerative organism seaweed.
The algae absorbs carbon dioxide in the ocean, similar to trees on land.
The fabric is made from seaweed combined with a bio-based fibre that can be used for non-woven textiles.
It is non-toxic and free from microplastics, decomposing naturally when no longer used.
Keel Lab, the company that created Kelsun, had its first commercial launch in September 2024 following a partnership with Stella McCartney.
Now it is breaking out onto the high street with H&M.
Aleks Gosiewski co-founded Keel labs back in 2017 as a design student that wanted to tackle the issue of textile waste in the fashion industry.
"Being named Forbes 30 Under 30 introduced me to a network of young entrepreneurs who share the same mission," Aleks says.
"At the end of the day, our goal is simple: we want to create materials that allow fashion brands to meet their sustainability goals without compromising on quality or performance”
“We urgently need climate-positive change, and we need it now – but we’re in it together,” she says.
“It all started with seaweed and now Kelsun is on shelves around the globe through our launch with & Other Stories, made possible by the visionary team there and at H&M Group.
"To our team at Keel Labs, thank you for your dedication, creativity, and hard work to build a better future!”
Cecelia McNeil, Sustainability Manager at H&M, says: “We continuously seek new technologies and materials to evolve our designs. For us, fashion and innovation are intertwined.
“Wear the pieces as a set or style casually as summer separates, they are soft, relaxed and kind. Using the natural colour of the fibre also felt essential, no dying techniques were used; the set is presented in its purity.”
Kelsun is not the only sustainable fabric the company is using.
“We are proud to use innovative and regenerative materials like regenerative wool from NATIVA and recycled silver recovered through urban mining,” says Celelia.
H&M’s sustainability targets
Using Kelsun fibre follows H&M’s goals for sustainability in the following years.
In 2025, the company aims to source 30% of materials for commercial goods to be certified recycled.
By 2030, it hopes to have 100% of its materials either recycled or sustainably sourced, using 2019 as a baseline.
It has made nearly 30% progress in 2024 towards its goal as of 2025.
By 2030, it aims to reduce its Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 56% against its 2019 baseline.
H&M also aims to ensure that 100% of chemicals in its tier one and two production factories will comply with ZDHC's Manufacturing Restricted Substances list.
What can we expect in the future?
Seaweed clothing, like Kelsun, has environmental benefits including:
- Reduced water usage
- No pesticides or fertilisers needed
- Carbon sequestration as seaweed absorbs carbon dioxide
- Biodegradable
- Reduced land use
However, there are some challenges that are hindering its emergence into more high street brands.
The production cost of seaweed is higher than traditional fabrics and scaling up seaweed fabric production to meet global demand is still a challenge.
When blending seaweed with other materials it can cause complications with recycling.
