Infinited Fiber Company (IFC) is looking for a location in Finland to build a flagship factory to produce its unique, regenerated textile fibres for the global market. The company will decide on the location by September. 

The plant’s entire output is intended for export and the company is currently negotiating offtake agreements with several global fashion and textile brands. It believes agreements will be in place before the end of 2021, securing the factory’s entire output capacity for several years.

The total investment for setting up the plant is estimated at around €220 million and IFC expects its currently ongoing evaluation into financing options for the plant to be completed soon. The plant is expected to be operational in 2024.

“We are seeing great demand for our circular Infinna textile fibre from global fashion brands and setting up our own plant is a response to this demand,” said cofounder and CEO Petri Alava. “While technology licensing remains central to our long-term business strategy, this plant will speed up the availability of Infinna to the global fashion and textile market in the short to medium-term.”

Infinited’s technology turns cellulose-based raw materials, like cotton-rich textiles, used cardboard or rice or wheat straw, into Infinna, a unique, premium textile fibre with the natural, soft look and feel of cotton. The company currently operates pilot facilities in the cities of Espoo and Valkeakoski in Finland, with a combined nominal capacity of 150 metric tons per annum. The planned flagship factory will have an annual capacity of 30,000 metric tons per year and will use textile waste as feedstock.

“Finland has a long history of cellulose-based industries, excellent engineering capabilities and a strong drive to become a leader in circularity,” said Alava. “We are currently considering several potential locations across Finland where the existing infrastructure is supportive of our plans.”

International technology group Andritz will be a key supplier of the process equipment for the new plant.

“We are thrilled to work together with Infinited to create new, bio-based fibres for textiles from waste,” said Kari Tuominen, president and CEO of Andritz Oy. “We see the recycling of textile waste as a new, very interesting application area and our versatile product portfolio has the suitable equipment for the mechanical and chemical treatment of textile waste. As a leading supplier to the pulp and paper industry, Andritz can deliver large entities for our customers. Textile waste recycling is becoming mandatory in the EU from 2025 and we are keen to be involved in developing new bio-based fibres from textile waste and from other cellulose-based materials.”

Finnish waste management company Lounais-Suomen Jätehuolto Oy (LSJH), which is owned by 17 municipalities in South-West Finland, will supply raw material to the plant from the full-scale textile waste refinement plant it is preparing in the Turku region of Finland. The plant will process all the end-of-life textiles of Finnish households in cooperation with other municipality-owned waste management companies.

More than 92 million metric tons of textile waste is produced globally every year with much of it ending up in landfills or incinerators. At the same time, textile fibre demand is increasing, with Textile Exchange estimating the global textile fibre market will grow by 30% to 146 million metric tons in 2030.

www.infinitedfiber.com