Suzano and Spinnova build sustainable textile fibre plant in Finland

Marimekko Oyj

25/02/2021 13:00

By Essi Lehto
    HELSINKI, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Brazilian pulp group Suzano
 SUZB3.SA  and Finnish cellulose fibre startup Spinnova will
build a plant in Finland to make a sustainable textile fibre
from wood and waste.
    The aim is to have commercial production capacity by the end
of 2022, Spinnova Chief Executive Janne Poranen told Reuters. 
    The fashion industry is seeking sustainable alternatives to
cotton, which needs large amounts of water, and viscose, whose
traditional production uses toxic chemicals and polyester,
blamed for pollutants such as microplastics.
    Several research projects based on making cloth from wood
are underway. 
    Spinnova has developed its technology in collaboration with
fashion companies such as Bestseller, Marimekko  MEKKO.HE  and
Bergans. It said on Thursday the world's second largest fashion
retailer H&M  HMb.ST  would also join as a brand partner. 
    Its technology enables the production of textile fibre
without using dissolvents that are harmful to the environment.
    "The fact that these fibres can be recycled into a new fibre
again and again makes the fibre disruptively circular," it said.
    Poranen said he believed Spinnova's production method was
the only one in the world that used no harmful chemicals at all
in the process of dissolving the material.
    This week, a venture part-owned by Finnish forestry group
Stora Enso  STERV.HE , H&M and IKEA announced it was building a
demonstration plant in Sweden for another sustainable wood-based
textile fibre.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2KT0II
    Suzano and Spinnova will set up their 20 million euro ($24.3
million) plant in Jyvaskyla, north of the Finnish capital
Helsinki. 
    Investment in the project would total about 50 million
euros, which included Suzano's investment in producing the raw
material micro-fibrillated cellulose, Spinnova said.
    It did not disclose the plant's planned production capacity.
    Poranen said in an interview it would be possible to scale
up production fast if demand for the fibre rose and said the
technology could be used to produce fibre from agriculture waste
such as wheat or barley straw.
    
    ($1 = 0.8224 euros)

 (Reporting by Essi Lehto, Editing by Anna Ringstrom and Edmund
Blair)
 ((Essi.Lehto@thomsonreuters.com;))