Textiles industry is one of the largest consumers industries globally, generating €1.5 trillion annually. The overall consumption of apparel is on the rise, promising further growth to the industry. However, textiles industry is also one of the most polluting industries producing 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year. In addition, there is a shortage of supply of raw materials.
Natural fibres like cotton require massive amounts of water, whereas viscose production utilises hazardous chemicals. Oilbased alternatives, like polyester, are the largest contributors of plastic microfibres in oceans. These trends are forcing the textiles industry to actively look for alternative raw materials. If they cannot find one, their profits will drop significantly in the next decades.
Finnish SME Infinited Fiber Company (IFC) has developed low-cost process for producing cellulose based fibre from textiles waste. The fibre product – called Infinited Fibre – is sustainable, affordable, and available in unlimited quantities. Unlike viscose and polyester, Infinited Fibre has the touch and feel of cotton, which is preferred by consumers. It is the only fibre that meets the industry needs.
IFC has already built an industrial pilot for producing 50 tons of Infinited Fibre annually. The whole capacity of the pilot has been acquired by some of the biggest fashion brands in the world. More than 15 brands have tested the fibre product with extremely positive. They are now looking forward to launching Infinited Fibre based consumer products.
The NewNormal project supported the scale-up of Infinited Fibre production. As a result of the project, we reached the commercialisation phase of Infinited Fibre.
