Finland’s Spinnova is forging a new partnership with Sweden’s imogo, the developer of sustainable textile dyeing technology that drastically minimises water, energy and chemical use.

The two Nordic companies aim to apply imogo’s resource-efficient dyeing method to the first Spinnova products later this year.

“We are very excited about this partnership and the impact the combination of our technologies can have on the textile value chain,” said Per Stenflo, CCO and founding partner of imogo at the recent Techtextil exhibition in Frankfurt (June 21-24). “Together we will illustrate that dramatically reduced environmental impact from the fashion industry is possible. Replacing obsolete technologies and materials with new alternatives will be a cornerstone of building a new responsible textile industry that can be part of overcoming the crisis of global warming and its consequences.”

As a majority of the fashion industry’s emissions come from upstream processes like fibre production and dyeing textile materials, the partnership presents a promising shift in sustainable fashion production. Spinnova is a climate positive textile fibre and its first commercial scale factory will save more CO₂ emissions than it emits. Spinnova production uses zero harmful chemicals and 99% less water than conventional cotton production. Imogo’s patented technology is also highly resource efficient, decreasing energy, chemical and water use by over 90% and dye use by almost a third.

“We’re constantly exploring sustainable alternatives in textile processing to further reduce the environmental impact of the products we create,” said Shahriare Mahmood, chief sustainability officer at Spinnova. “Imogo has the potential to revolutionise the industry’s dyeing process, and has already proven that sustainability and durability go hand in hand. Combining our technologies, we can create a huge shift within the entire industry,

In addition to being significantly more sustainable than conventional methods, Spinnova and imogo’s products do not compromise on performance. The colour and resistance to fading or bleeding of items dyed with imogo’s technology is on the same level to those dyed conventionally. Spinnova fibre is also a durable and versatile material with a natural feel, and has already been applied to products from high fashion to outdoor and everyday wear, as well as furniture and home decor.”

The first products using Spinnova and imogo’s technologies are planned to be revealed later this year. Spinnova’s first commercial-scale factory is expected to be completed in Finland at the end of this year. Together with its investor and joint venture partner Suzano, Spinnova aims to scale its global production to one million tons of sustainable fibre annually within the next 10-12 years – providing global fashion brands and retailers with a versatile and sustainable fibre at scale.

www.spinnova.com

www.imogo.com