Sustainable textile company Spinnova apparel brand Icebreaker are developing circular midlayer apparel products. These feature ‘next-generation blends of merino wool and the sustainable SPINNOVA fibre that can be recycled again and again.’
Spinnova and Icebreaker have begun their joint sustainability journey by entering a product development agreement on SPINNOVA-merino wool midlayer materials. These claim to have a minimal environmental footprint and ‘no compromises on high performance’.
The developed yarn is aimed to be separated and reused, with the ambition to get one step closer to circularity and lowering the products’ impact on the environment.
Icebreaker has an ambitious sustainability goal of abandoning the use of plastic fibres by 2023. In 2020, 91% of Icebreaker’s materials were merino or plant-based. This new partnership is seen as a match between Icebreaker’s high sustainability standards and Spinnova’s innovation and… ‘aims to transform the way textiles are made globally.’
“Nature is our hero, and our source of inspiration – we were excited to learn about Spinnova’s approach to fibre spinning that mimics nature’s own processes,” said Alistair Smith, Director of Global Product Design at Icebreaker.
“In addition to this shared source of inspiration, the potential to recycle SPINNOVA into a new fibre again and again makes this disruptively circular. This partnership enables our strategy in developing circular business models and drives forward sustainable design.”
The sustainable and circular SPINNOVA fibre is made without harmful chemicals. SPINNOVA fibres are claimed to use 99% less water and produce nearly 65% less CO2 emissions than cotton production.
Thanks to a simple mechanical process Spinnova uses to harness its raw material, wood pulp, the fibres can simply be remade mechanically, again without harmful chemicals or quality loss. SPINNOVA fibre also has insulative properties, and is seen as a good companion for merino wool.
Also, as Spinnova’s wood-based fibre is produced without chemical dissolving, unlike man-made cellulosic fibres, the SPINNOVA fibre is defined as one of the few representatives of a new ‘other plant-based fibres class’.
“We’re very proud of this collaboration, and excited to keep experimenting how SPINNOVA can fight climate change as both a sustainable new material and a disruptively circular new material that can be remade over and over again,” said Spinnova’s CEO and co-founder Janne Poranen.
Spinnova is building its first commercial factory in Finland to meet a growing demand for sustainable materials from global textile brands. The factory producing SPINNOVA fibre is expected to be completed at the end of 2022.
Spinnova’s long term business targets include reaching one million tonnes of annual SPINNOVA fibre production capacity in the next 10- 12 years.
The patented SPINNOVA fibre is claimed to create zero waste and side streams or microplastics, and its CO2 emissions and water use are minimal. SPINNOVA materials are quickly biodegradable and circular. Spinnova adds that it is committed to using only sustainable raw materials such as FSC certified wood and waste.
www.spinnova.com
www.icebreaker.com
