ESG Outlook is Sourcing Journal’s discussion series with industry executives to get their take on their company’s latest environmental, social and governance initiatives and their own personal efforts toward sustainability. Here, Alisa Leonard, chief brand officer or Twelve, discusses how the carbon transformation company creates essential materials from air to accelerate the world’s transition to a net-zero future.
Name: Alisa Leonard
Title: Chief brand officer
Company: Twelve
Related Stories
What do you consider your company’s best ESG-related achievement over the last 5 years?
Using three basic inputs—CO2, renewable energy and water—Twelve produces chemicals, fuels and materials that would otherwise come from fossil fuels. Our proprietary technology transforms captured CO2 into the exact same molecular building blocks that brands rely on today, but without the oil extraction or associated emissions. We call these outputs CO2Made® products—fossil-free, drop-in replacements for petrochemicals used in everything from apparel and personal care to electronics and automotive parts.
One of our most significant achievements has been proving that we can manufacture identical materials—like jet fuel, EVA foam, polyester and polycarbonate—from CO2 instead of oil, at commercial scale. This isn’t just theoretical innovation; we’ve continued to partner with global brands like Mercedes-Benz to create interior auto parts from CO2-based polymers, with Procter & Gamble to develop CO2-based ingredients for Tide laundry detergent, and with PANGAIA to produce sunglass lenses made from CO2. We’ve demonstrated that brands don’t have to choose between performance and sustainability—they can have both by switching from oil-based to CO2Made materials.
What is your company’s latest ESG-related initiative?
We’ve created the CO2Made Project, a comprehensive platform to help brands transition from petroleum-dependent supply chains to fossil-free ones. This initiative goes beyond individual product partnerships to create systematic change across entire supply chains. We work with brands to identify where petrochemical inputs can be replaced, develop hero products that exemplify their commitment and then scale carbon transformation across broader applications—from materials to logistics to packaging. It’s about moving from scattered sustainability efforts to wholesale supply chain transformation.
What is the biggest misconception consumers have about sustainability in fashion/accessories? How does your company message correct information to the public?
One of the biggest misconceptions we’ve found is that people think sustainable materials require performance trade-offs or that “going green” means accepting inferior quality. This belief has been reinforced by years of eco-friendly alternatives that didn’t meet durability, aesthetic or functional standards. Instead, Twelve focuses on abundance rather than scarcity—we can make the exact same high-performance materials from CO2 that brands currently make from oil. No reformulation needed, no compromises on quality. This summer, we conducted a national survey that revealed 74 percent of consumers would choose CO2-based products over conventional ones when quality is maintained, showing there’s massive demand when the performance barrier is removed.
As consumers become more aware of worker conditions and how clothing is produced, how can the industry best spread the word on progress?
Transparency needs to extend beyond labor practices to include the molecular level—what materials are actually made and where those building blocks originate. While fair labor and ethical sourcing remains a key priority, it’s equally crucial that we address the environmental and social costs embedded in petrochemical supply chains. Brands should find ways to communicate not just how their products are made, but what they’re made from. We believe CO2-based materials offer a powerful story: instead of extracting oil from the ground, we have the ability to literally make products from air.
What is your personal philosophy on shopping and caring for your clothes?
My personal philosophy centers on intentional consumption—having fewer, higher quality, well-made pieces that are built to last. This philosophy directly connects to why quality and performance are so crucial for CO2Made materials in general. There’s no point in making sustainable alternatives if they don’t match or exceed the durability and functionality of conventional materials.
Anything new you are doing to boost sustainability beyond the fashion industry?
What’s exciting about Twelve’s technology is its versatility, enabling us to make materials and products that span nearly every product category. The same CO2-based naphtha from our AirPlants can become polyester for clothing, EVA foam for athletic shoes, polycarbonate for electronics, or surfactants for personal care products. This isn’t just about replacing oil in fashion; it’s about transforming the molecular foundation of how we make everything.
What do you consider to be the apparel industry’s biggest missed opportunity related to securing meaningful change?
The apparel industry has focused primarily on end-of-life solutions—recycling, circularity, biodegradability—while largely ignoring beginning-of-life impacts from raw material production. Over 95 percent of chemical feedstocks come from fossil fuels, meaning even the most ethically produced garments often start with oil extraction. The missed opportunity is upstream: transforming how we make the synthetic fibers, foams and polymers that now account for over 60 percent of global fiber production. CO2-based materials allow us to address emissions at the source, not just at disposal. We definitely need both!
What was your company’s biggest takeaway from the Covid crisis that is still relevant today?
COVID revealed how fragile our supply chains really are—and how little most people understood them until they broke down completely. Empty shelves suddenly made everyone aware of our concentrated reliance on petroleum-based manufacturing and global distribution networks. At Twelve, this crisis became an opportunity to evaluate more systemic changes that could increase reliability, traceability and innovation across supply chains.
Our pilot programs with Procter & Gamble and Daimler during this period were particularly instructive. Working with P&G to develop CO2-based ingredients for Tide and with Daimler on automotive interior components made from CO2-based polymers helped us understand that the real opportunity wasn’t just replacing one material or product at a time, but reimagining entire supply chain architectures. These partnerships ultimately informed to our larger strategy around AirPlants producing naphtha that becomes the feedstock for CO2Made products across categories.
The biggest lesson: we need to diversify not just suppliers, but feedstocks themselves.
How much do you look into a brand’s social or environmental practices before shopping?
Extensively. As someone who works at the intersection of climate and culture and the power of brand, I look for transparency about materials sourcing, evidence of innovation investments, and authentic storytelling that goes beyond marketing claims. I’m particularly interested in brands willing to pioneer new technologies and materials.
Anything else you wish to add on this topic?
We’re witnessing a paradigm shift from a petroleum-dependent industrial system to one where our atmosphere becomes the feedstock for manufacturing. This isn’t just about reducing emissions—it’s about reimagining abundance. CO2 is everywhere and increasingly a liability. When we transform it into the building blocks for everyday products, we turn a waste stream into a resource stream. For brands, this represents a rare opportunity to lead cultural change while building competitive advantage. The question isn’t whether this transformation will happen, but which brands will lead it and which will follow. At Twelve, we believe the brands that embrace making products from air instead of oil will define the next era of innovation.
