Spinnova and Suzano to build industrial unit in Finland to produce sustainable fibre

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Type of post: NEWS.

Spinnova (material innovation company) and Suzano (wood pulp producer) will make an estimated 22 M€ investment to build the first commercial scale facility to produce Spinnova’s sustainable fibre in Finland.

Figure 1. Spinnova fiber (taken from the company website)

The new, industrial scale production unit will be located in Jyväskylä (Finland) home of 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 their partner and investor, Suzano. According to Spinnova, the total investment, encompassing all needed infrastructure such as real estate, is some 50 M€. The real estate will be built and rented for the joint venture by Jykia.

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® trademark.

The process uses no harmful chemicals and 99% less water than the cotton value chain. Fibre produced this way creates minimal CO2 emissions, is quickly biodegradable and contains no microplastics. These fibres can be recycled into a new fibre again and again. The Spinnova technology enables textile fibre production out of wood but also from textile waste or agricultural waste such wheat or barley straw.

Spinnova materials have been developed in collaboration with leading fashion brands such as Danish clothing company Bestseller, Finnish fashion house Marimekko, and Norwegian outdoor brand Bergans. The H&M Group has also announced that it has joined this group of brands. Spinnova will be announcing a number of new brand collaborations and products later this year and expects to fill the new factory’s production capacity during this year.

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