Spinnova & Suzano to increase Woodspin’s capacity to 1 million tonnes annually by 2031

Spinnova, a sustainable natural fiber firm, and Suzano, the world’s largest wood pulp manufacturer, have begun work on their joint venture smart factory in Finland. The factory, which produces SPINNOVA® fiber, is the first step toward the goal of increasing annual production to one million tonnes within ten years.

Spinnova’s vision has always included scaling to large quantities and delivering a sustainable, competitively priced material to the textile industry. One million tonnes of natural fiber potential delivered over ten years will be a significant move toward a more productive apparel industry. Spinnova has already partnered with major brands including H&M Group and Bestseller.

Spinnova and Suzano, Woodspin’s owners, jointly announced a 22 million euro investment in Finland’s first commercial-scale SPINNOVA® fiber manufacturing plant. Construction in Jyväskylä has already begun, with the organic, renewable fiber scheduled to be usable by the end of 2022.

Janne Poranen, Spinnova’s CEO and co-founder said they’ve developed a scalable and adaptable platform that can be scaled and set up anywhere in the world. As a result, they will scale up or down in response to demand.

Suzano, Spinnova’s strategic partner, is prepared to raise volumes of certified micro-fibrillated cellulose (MFC) to Woodspin in accordance with these plans. Since Suzano’s first investment in Spinnova in 2017, this has been a part of their long-term strategy.

Vinícius Nonino, Suzano’s New Business Executive Officer said the first factory is an excellent step toward realizing the enormous, multinational potential of this technology. They expect the Spinnova Technology will be highly scalable, and they share their joint venture’s goal of producing more than one million tonnes of SPINNOVA® fiber each year in the next ten years.

Spinnova is the exclusive technology supplier in the Woodspin joint venture, while Suzano guarantees MFC supply and consistency. Valmet, a world pioneer in pulp and paper technology, has been chosen by Spinnova to provide drying technology for the first SPINNOVA® production line investment in Jyväskylä.

Valmet’s Paper Business Line President, Jari Vähäpesola said Valmet is excited to be a part of this ground-breaking approach to producing sustainable textiles from fiber-based raw materials. They are a strong technology partner in this project because they want to help their customers turn green energy into sustainable results and they are really focused on R&D.