Respin completes pilot production line for leather waste textile fibers

Respin, a joint venture between Spinnova, a sustainable textile material firm, and KT Trading, ECCO‘s leather partner, has completed the construction of a pilot production line. Respin can now start working on commercializing the SPINNOVA® leather waste fiber, which is disruptively circular.

Respin, a joint venture between Spinnova and KT Trading, was announced in May, and the partners now have a pilot manufacturing line ready to begin its beginning phase. Spinnova created and manufactured the small industrial scale leather fiber pilot, which is located in Spinnova’s facilities in Jyväskylä, Finland.

This means Respin can begin producing bigger quantities of the leather fiber for research and development reasons, as well as produce prototype products using the material. While the pilot phase is exclusive, the Respin joint venture partners will welcome other brands to participate in the commercial phase of the development. The fiber created from ECCO’s leather tanneries’ waste streams offers a lot of potential in a variety of applications, including footwear.

Spinnova did not need to develop new technology to set up a pilot line for leather fiber. Spinnova’s prototype production line, which has been running for 2.5 years and uses wood-based fiber, has already proven the technology.

During the proof-of-concept phase, Respin will pay Spinnova 2.5 million euros for the pilot production line and Spinnova’s R&D services. The piloting process is expected to take a year.

Janne Poranen, CEO and co-founder of Spinnova, said that they’re pleased with their team for successfully completing the line. They’re all looking forward to the next product development with the leather fiber.

KT Trading, which specializes in the global sourcing of supplies for the leather industry, ensures the quality of the raw materials.

Kristian Geert-Jensen, CEO of KT Trading, said that Respin is a great illustration of what they can accomplish when they collaborate across industries. They’ve set out on a united effort to find new ways to recycle their waste material. They’re happy to take the next steps in this collaboration with Spinnova and ECCO.

The leather fiber’s primary sustainability benefits are its use of renewable raw materials, zero usage of toxic chemicals, and little water use, all of which are made possible by Spinnova’s clean, low-emission technology. The fiber has the appearance of textile fiber, but it is created from waste leather, combining the natural resilience and elasticity of leather with the lightweight and feel of traditional textile.

According to the partners, they are the only ones in the world that can turn leather waste into the textile fiber without using harmful chemicals