Walmart and unspun Collaborate on 3D Fabric Weaving Technology, Aiming To Reduce Apparel Manufacturing Waste and Drive US-Based Manufacturing - Seite 2

The two companies aspire to deepen the collaboration into later phases should the pilot prove successful. unspun, in collaboration with a manufacturing partner, hopes to ultimately deploy additional microsites around the U.S. for on- and near-shored manufacturing, with locations to be determined. unspun has an ambition to have 350 machines in the U.S. by 2030.

“The pressing need to address ongoing climate change, reduce carbonization and drive to more transparent and localized apparel manufacturing practices is at the heart of our mission,” said Beth Esponnette, co-founder of unspun. “We have been running low-volume production of commercial products at our first micro factory with proven third-party life cycle assessments to back the impact of this new type of production. Now, together with Walmart, we see an enormous opportunity to take our innovations to scale, with the potential to disrupt the garment manufacturing industry, bring jobs to the USA and drastically reduce waste in apparel.”

"unspun's technology aims to be the fastest, highest quality and most economical way to make woven garments period. Innovative industry leaders like Walmart are beginning to see the future potential impact, and we expect there to be continued interest as the unspun team builds the future of manufacturing," said Shuo Yang, Lowercarbon Capital.

Shaping the Future of Retail

Today’s announcement closely follows a series of innovative tech initiatives unveiled by Walmart in recent months. On Jan. 9, 2024, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Walmart showcased tech-powered enhancements, including expanded drone delivery in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex; computer vision exit technology at Sam’s Clubs; AI, GenAI and AR enhancements for customers, members and associates; along with ambitious commitments to clean energy. In July 2023, Walmart announced a pilot for innovative carbon capture and conversion technology also for the apparel manufacturing supply chain.

A long-time leader on sustainability, Walmart has worked with suppliers, NGOs and climate action leaders to inspire positive change across global value chains since 2005. In its own operations, Walmart has set a goal to be powered 50% by renewable energy by 2025 and 100% by 2035. More than 5,900 suppliers globally are engaged in Project Gigaton, and as of February 21, suppliers have now reported projects that are expected to exceed the 1 billion metric ton mark, helping Walmart reach their goal six years early.