Burning Coal to Make "Sustainable" Lab Growns
February 15, 24
(IDEX Online) - Gen Z and millennials don't realize their "sustainable" lab growns are made by burning coal in China and India, according to a Fortune investigation.
The global business magazine says many manufacturers are based in India, where 75 per cent of electricity comes from burning coal, but still use words like "sustainable" and "environmentally-friendly" to promote goods on their websites.
It says Cupid Diamonds claims to produce its stones "an environmentally friendly manner," but did not respond to a request for details.
More than half of China's electricity came from coal in 2023. Fortune asked some of the country's largest producers - Henan Huanghe Whirlwind, Zhuhai Zhong Na Diamond, HeNan LiLiang Diamond, Starsgem Co. and Ningbo Crysdiam - about their electricity sources. None of them responded.
Pic of rough lab growns, courtesy Huanghe Whirlwind.