This year, Adidas and Arket both released clothing in partnership with Spinnova. A Finnish company, Spinnova is dedicated to creating sustainable fibers and has signed a collaboration agreement with the chemical company Kemira, also Finnish, to develop an environmentally friendly method for mass dyeing fibers. The result could benefit the industrial sector as well as the planet.
The system advocated by Spinnova involves dyeing the mass before the extrusion of the filament. It avoids excessive use of water, energy, heavy metals, and other harmful substances, which - with other dyeing systems - end up in the fiber, yarn, and fabric.
Spinnova's innovation stems from the wood pulp sector, which is also one of Kemira's areas of know-how and one of the focuses of its R&D work in search of bio-based chemicals. The textile finishing and dyeing sector is one of the world's most harmful to the environment and especially to water. The traditional textile sector, in fact, uses an abundance of chemicals in its manufacturing, especially in finishing and dyeing.
Sustainable Cellulose by Spinnova
Spinnova was born in 2015 and has worked mainly on the development of sustainable technologies for cellulose, which is now already on the verge of commercialization. In fact, its first major partner is the Finnish brand Marimekko. Its most important technology is the one that makes it possible to produce sustainable, mass-dyed cellulose without the use of chemical solvents replaced by mechanical treatment and without producing waste.
Spinnova's strategy is to work with brands in the development of sustainable applications. In fact, it is now looking for a partner for the development and application of its new dyeing system.
Adidas Presents its First Design Made of Wood Fibers with Spinnova
Eight months after Adidas announced its partnership with the Finnish company, Adidas unveiled its first product made with the company's fibers: the Adidas TERREX HS1, made using at least 25% wood fibers and 75% organic cotton. It is a second layer designed for hikers with which Adidas explores a fabric with a more sustainable impact.
adidas is committed to eliminating plastic waste with a three-cycle strategy of using recycled materials, materials that can be reused in new products, and, in the case of Made with nature, products partly created with natural ingredients, such as the Adidas TERREX HS1. Its outdoor brand, Adidas TERREX, is spearheading this specialized materials innovation project, seeking to achieve the best products for outdoor adventurers without compromising on style and performance.
By 2025, nine out of ten Adidas items will use more sustainable technologies, materials, designs, or manufacturing methods, and Adidas’ partnership with Spinnova is an important step in the process.
As an investor in its innovative technology to create textile fibers from renewable materials, Adidas is working with Spinnova to increase the production rate of its fibers and use them in other products.
H&M-Owned Arket Unites with Spinnova
In April of this year, H&M-owned Arket released an overshirt made with a Spinnova fiber blend, ahead of the brand’s first commercial-scale factory opening which took place later in the year.
Arket is a modern concept that offers essential products for men, women, children, and the home. Its mission is to establish quality through widely accessible, well-made, and durable products, designed to be used and loved for a long time, according to H&M.
Arket’s first product made using the cellulose-based Spinnova fiber came in the form of a men’s overshirt. This partnership with Arket features 18% Spinnova fiber and 82% sustainably sourced cotton.
Arket’s Managing Director Pernilla Wohlfahrt expressed that one of the brand’s priorities is to source innovative materials, so the company is brand to add the Spinnova fiber to its selective material portfolio, as it’s said to produce fewer CO2 emissions and use 99% less water than conventional cotton production and contains zero microplastics.