Shahriare Mahmood © Spinnova.

Finland headquartered Spinnova, a fibre innovation company, is preparing to scale its sustainable fibre production and has recently recruited two niche textile experts to help commercialise its sustainable wood-based fibre. Spinnova has also appointed four other members to its team.

Shahriare Mahmood has been appointed Spinnova’s Sustainability Director, joining the company from the renowned Finnish children’s wear brand Reima. Mahmood has both an academic and a technical textiles industry background, graduating as a chemical engineer in Bangladesh and Master of Engineering in Finland. Mahmood has also worked in textile mills in Asia and Europe.

In the course of his extensive career, he has specialized in for example, circularity, material R&D and quality and supply chain management. He has also recently earned a PhD in sustainability management. With Spinnova, Mahmood focuses on supporting the company’s sustainability efforts of partnering brands and related pre-commercial and commercial phase supply chains.

“Shahriare has experience of many different phases of textile manufacturing. In our team, he gets to personally close the loop. We are excited to have access to his hands-on technology skills and in-depth sustainability knowledge,” says Spinnova’s CEO and co-founder Janne Poranen.

Spinnova’s other textile expert appointment is Eun (Enja) Young Kim, who started as Senior Fibre Application Specialist in Spinnova’s R&D team. An engineer by background, Kim previously worked for fibre technology company Lenzing in Austria, where she worked in technical customer services for technical applications. She will be focusing on developing Spinnova fibre’s quality and finishings.

Eun (Enja) Young Kim. © Spinnova.

“Enja’s vast experience of cellulose-based textile fibres helps us ensure that our fibre succeeds in partnering brands’ supply chains and end products,” Poranen adds. 

Spinnova has also recruited four new people in its R&D and laboratory teams and now employs 36 people full time.

Spinnova is a Finnish, sustainable fibre innovation company that develops ecological breakthrough technology for manufacturing cellulose-based textile fibre. Spinnova’s patented, climate positive fibre includes 0% harmful chemicals and 0% waste or side streams. The Spinnova value chain features 99% less water and 65% less CO2 emissions than the cotton value chain, the company says. The Spinnova fibre is also recyclable with the Spinnova process without harmful chemicals. Spinnova’s raw material commitment is to only use certified wood or waste raw materials.

Spinnova was awarded e.g. a World Changing Idea by the Fast Company in 2019, as well as Sustainability Achievement of the year by the ISPO and Scandinavian Outdoor Awards in 2020.

www.spinnova.fi