Marimekko a Finnish home furnishings, textiles, and fashion company based in Helsinki in cooperation with Spinnova, a developer wood-based textile fibres based in Jyväskylä, Central Finland sees commercial potential of wood based textiles.

According to Marimekko, the wood-based textiles developer is currently the only one in the world that is able to convert pulp directly into textile fibre without using chemical solvents. Fabrics made out of the fibre, it adds, have a smaller ecological footprint than traditional alternatives as they can be reused, recycled and composted.

Chemical solvents are used, for example, in the production of viscose.

Tiina Alahuhta-Kasko, the chief executive of the iconic design house, estimates that co-operation with innovative materials developers is key in introducing new materials to the market.

She stated that they have been involved in material research for years and have paid close attention to developments in this area. It is great to see that such globally significant expertise and technology needed for material development exists in Finland.

Spinnova is currently researching methods to increase the amount of textile fibre produced by its proprietary technology.

Tiina Alahuhta-Kasko, further added that they want to find new materials for producing fabrics and textiles for environmental reasons. Spinnova’s method, if successful, would be ground-breaking.

If the product development project progresses according to plan, the first major investment in a commercial-scale production facility will be made before the end of the decade.

Spinnova has developed its technology based on research conducted by the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT).

Marimekko reported that its earnings continued to develop positively in the third quarter of the year driven, especially, by royalties and retail sales. Its third-quarter operating profit improved by 0.7 million year-on-year to 4.4 million euros and net sales by 0.3 million to 27.2 million euros.