Finnish material innovation company Spinnova Oy has announced that it together with Brazil-headed Suzano S.A. (Suzano), the world’s largest wood pulp producer, will invest an estimated EUR 22 million in building the first commercial-scale SPINNOVA fibre production facility in Jyväskylä, Finland. Spinnova’s sustainable fibre, created out of wood and residues without the use of harmful chemicals, will be available for global textile brands in 2022.
The new, industrial-scale production unit will be located in Jyväskylä, Finland, home to Spinnova’s R&D hub and pilot facility. Production will be managed and operated by a new joint venture company owned 50/50 by Spinnova and partner and investor, Suzano.
According to a statement, the joint venture investment is estimated to be EUR 22 million while the total investment, encompassing all needed infrastructure such as the site and buildings, is some EUR 50 million. The buildings will be built and rented for the joint venture by the Jyväskylä real estate development company Jykia.
Disruptive circular technology
The proprietary technology uses wood fibres to produce filaments and yarns that can replace cotton, viscose and other raw materials in both woven and nonwoven applications. The fibre is quickly biodegradable and contains no microplastics.
According to Spinnova, no harmful chemicals are used and up to 99 percent less water than the cotton value chain is needed thus textile fibres produced this way result in minimal carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions making the SPINNOVA fibre one of the most sustainable textile fibres available.
The fact that t In addition to wood, Spinnova technology enables textile fibre production from other feedstock sources including textile waste or agricultural residues such as wheat or barley straw. Furthermore, these SPINNOVA fibres can be recycled into a new fibre, again and again, making the technology “disruptively circular”.
Every leading textile brand is looking for ways to minimise their emissions and ecological footprint and build a circular material foundation for their products. We feel humbled and proud that soon we will be able to provide brands with our new, disruptively sustainable fibre and fabrics, said Janne Poranen, CEO and Co-founder of Spinnova.
Global eucalyptus pulp leader
Suzano is a world leader in the production of eucalyptus pulp and has expanded its operations to create “sustainable and innovative solutions derived from trees to the challenges faced by society”.
In the joint venture, Spinnova will be the exclusive technology provider, while Suzano will ensure the supply of sustainably produced micro-fibrillated cellulose obtained from eucalyptus planted by Suzano in Brazil. The fibre produced will be sold under the SPINNOVA brand.
Suzano uses only planted trees in its production processes. This renewable raw material is being combined with Spinnova’s technology for producing fibres that are more sustainable than the options currently available in the textile industry, which is aligned with the demands of contemporary society, said Fernando Bertolucci, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer of Suzano.
H&M Group joins as a brand partner
Spinnova materials have been developed in collaboration with leading Nordic fashion brands such as Danish clothing company Bestseller, Finnish fashion house Marimekko, and Norwegian outdoor brand Bergans. H&M Group has now announced that it has joined this group of brands in a partnership with Spinnova.
The H&M Group’s ambition is to become fully circular, and we are continuously testing and actively looking to further integrate the use of sustainable materials through our group’s brands. We see Spinnova as having great potential to address several of the sustainability challenges we face today,” comments Mattias Bodin, H&M Group’s Circular Innovation Lab Lead.
Most leading apparel brands are committed to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30 percent by 2030. Since Spinnova materials’ cradle to gate emissions are considerably less than those of cotton, it’s a radical improvement to existing textile fibres.
Spinnova’s fibre already works well in blends with other natural fibres, especially cotton. In big volumes, Spinnova blends alone can have a big positive environmental impact.
Spinnova will be announcing a number of new brand collaborations and products later this year. The company expects to fill the new plant’s undisclosed production capacity during this year.
We believe that the SPINNOVA fibre will be the breakthrough that the textile and fashion industry has been waiting for. We have all the needed components in place: a good quality product that can replace cotton in end products, proof of concept from our production pilot, scalable technology and ample, sustainable raw material supply, ended Janne Poranen.
To speed up the company’s further growth, Spinnova is now actively exploring multiple substantial financing alternatives.
