Spinnova reveals ‘sustainable’ dyeing collab
Finnish renewable fibre developer Spinnova has joined hands with Imogo, a cleantech textile dyeing startup based in neighbouring Sweden. The first fruits of their commercially minded partnership are expected to be made public later this year.
Spinnova has honed a technique which allows it to produce textile fibres out of natural microfibrils from raw materials including paper-grade wood pulp or waste from leather, textile and food production.
Its first commercial-scale factory, a collaborative venture with Brazilian pulp producer Suzano called Woodspin, is on track for completion by the end of 2022 following additional investment.
Imogo’s technology, meanwhile, is considered resource-efficient and more sustainable than conventional dyeing methods, without any compromise in performance properties such as resistance to fading or bleeding. Spinnova's chief sustainability officer, Shahriare Mahmood, said that Imogo’s offer had the potential to “revolutionise” industrial dyeing “and has already proven that sustainability and durability go hand in hand”.
Founding partner and chief commercial officer at Imogo, Per Stenflo, added that he believed the tie-up would prove to be “an inspiration” for the wider textile and fashion industries.
Spinnova has been describing itself as climate positive since April, when it revealed that local carbon footprint consultancy Clonet had found - based on “known quantities and some assumptions” - its not-yet-operational Woodspin facility to generate carbon-neutral surplus heat as its sole by-product.
Read more about Spinnova, and its recent work with adidas Teerex on the HS1 midlayer hoodie, in WSA’s features section here.
Image: Spinnova.
