H&M Group is turning up the heat on renewable energy.
The Swedish retailer has partnered with Rondo Energy to explore the potential for heat storage technologies that help decarbonize the textile supply chain. H&M Group Ventures also invested an undisclosed sum in Rondo, joining the zero-carbon heat and power provider’s strategic investor advisory board. The collaboration aims to develop “clean, affordable heat” powering textile factories globally.
“Rondo is thrilled to be working in partnership with H&M Group to explore how our technology can be of use in their supply chain, and to have H&M as an investor and member of our strategic investor advisory board,” said Eric Trusiewicz, CEO of Rondo Energy.
Rondo said its heat batteries combine “century-old materials and cutting-edge automation” to turn intermittent renewable energy into the continuous, high-temperature heat and power the textile industry requires. These batteries, the California-based company said, can be used in place of fossil fuels during textile production, cutting clothing’s carbon footprint by almost two-thirds. This is because the batteries deliver carbonization by changing the fuel, not the factory. The Rondo Heat Battery is designed to drop into existing facilities by offering a fast track to decarbonization and lower operating costs.
“Producing and finishing fabrics requires large amounts of low-cost energy, which makes our brick batteries a perfect fit,” said John O’Donnell, founder and chief innovation officer at Rondo Energy. “Today, coal delivers most of the heat and most of the carbon pollution making fabrics, because it’s always been cheap and simple to burn. But the world is changing. Region by region around the world, wind and solar power are becoming cheaper than fossil fuels. At Rondo, we’ve created a simple, practical tool to harness those new energy sources.”
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Through this partnership, the fast fashion firm will investigate opportunities for factories in its supply chain to make the switch to Rondo Heat Batteries. In turn, Rondo will use H&M Group Ventures’ investment to grow its international operations as well as develop and build storage projects.
While the global fashion brand has been investing in decarbonizing its supply chain through various efforts, Rondo is H&M Group Venture’s first investment in decarbonization technology.
“The company’s thermal battery energy storage has the potential to help factories electrify, which is key to achieving our climate targets,” Laura Coppen, head of sustainability investments at H&M Group Ventures. “We look forward to working closely with Rondo and the broader ecosystem in scaling decarb tech.”