Spinnova and Suzano open zero-emissions wood pulp facility in Finland

Finnish sustainable textile company Spinnova and its partner, Suzano, the world's largest producer of pulp, have opened their first large-scale facility for the production of wood-based Spinnova fiber in Jyvaskyla, Filand.

Operated by Woodspin, a 50/50 joint venture between Spinnova and Suzano, the plant is projected to produce 1,000 metric tons per year of sustainable, recyclable and fully biodegradable fiber made from wood. The fiber is produced from responsibly grown eucalyptus and the new plant is only the second Suzano has outside of Brazil. Plans are afoot to open another site outside of Brazil to further increase yield and by 2033 the annual production capacity is projected to hit one million metric tons.

Christian Orglmeister, executive director of new business at Suzano, noted that eucalyptus pulp has a much lower environmental impact than other fibers like cotton and is one of the few scalable solutions that can support sustainable production. Suzano has a zero deforestation policy and only plants on land that has been degraded.

"We are excited to ramp up production and create positive change," Orglmeister said.

Spinnova is produced with zero emissions. The only by-product of it is heat so the new facility does not require an environmental permit to operate. Using an energy recovery system, the excess heat is recycled through the local district heating system, and saves 2.4kg of CO2e per kg of fiber produced. Woodspin's new facility saves more emissions than it produces.

According to Juha Salmela, CTO and co-founder of Spinnova, the fiber has a 74 percent smaller lifecycle carbon footprint and uses 99.5 percent less water than conventional cotton production.

"The result is a natural, cotton-like textile fiber that meets the rigorous environmental and performance demands of brands and consumers alike," Salmela said.

Spinnova's technology makes chemical-free textile fiber out of waste from leather, textile or food, has been used by such global fashion brands as Adidas, Marimekko and Bestseller. It also has joint ventures with H&M Group and The North Face and is in preliminary stages of a deal with footwear brand Ecco to commercialize a fiber from leather waste.