A Finnish company has found a way of using wood pulp to print new clothes – and the only byproduct is water
Like an ill-fitting suit, the fashion industry carries around a supersized carbon footprint, which according to some estimates equates to around four per cent of global CO2 emissions.
Enter Finnish fibre startup Spinnova, which has devised a technique to spin wood pulp into a sustainable textile that can be used to make clothes.
The company says its methods don’t require harmful chemicals and that the only byproduct is water, which gets reused.
It comes as the fashion industry seeks sustainable alternatives to cotton, the production of which requires huge amounts of water, and viscose, which uses toxic chemicals in the manufacturing process and leaves behind a trail of microplastics.
Finnish design house Marimekko has already used the material to make a denim-like jacket and bag. H&M has also been announced as a partner.
Finnish design house Marimekko has used the material to make a denim-like jacket and bag. Image: Marimekko
Spinnova announced recently that it will build a factory in Finland to scale up production of its textile fibre. The plant is due to open in 2022.
“The fact that these fibres can be recycled into a new fibre again and again makes the fibre disruptively circular,” a spokesperson for the company told Reuters.
Main image: Marimekko
