Finnish fibre innovation company Spinnova and Danish multi-brand retailer Bestseller are partnering in what the companies refer to as a long-term sustainability journey. Being one of the early adopters of Spinnova’s novel fibres is part of Bestseller’s ambitious sustainability strategy, Fashion FWD.

“Spinnova and Bestseller are proud to announce they are working together towards a more sustainable future,” the partners said in a statement. In practice, Spinnova says, this means that the duo is in active joint product development together, to see which commercial products in Bestseller’s wide range of brands such as Vero Moda, Vila and Selected, Spinnova’s sustainable fibre material would first suit.

Spinnova is known for having developed breakthrough technology for making textile fibre from wood and waste, without harmful chemicals. Having proof of concept from its pilot production line, Spinnova says it is starting to build its commercial scaleup and has a number of brand owners onboard, committed to long-term collaboration.

“Having great brand partners like Bestseller, with the expertise and resources to collaborate with an innovator like us, has been crucial to our material development,” says Spinnova’s CEO and co-founder Janne Poranen.

The ultimate ambition is to create the world’s most sustainable fabric and turn it into commercial products, is an enormous challenge that Bestseller happily accepts as an active partner.

“We’re extremely proud to announce this collaboration with Spinnova, which is a highly promising material innovator. As always, our aim is to change the fashion industry for the better. Bestseller is an early adopter of Spinnova’s revolutionary material, and we genuinely believe in their ambition of making a truly sustainable material, which can be turned into commercial products, says Camilla Skjønning Jørgensen, Sustainable Materials and Innovation Manager in Bestseller.

Bestseller has also recently introduced its new innovation lab, Fashion FWD Lab, which focuses on new, low-impact and circular materials, better production, new business models and smarter ways of manufacturing. As Bestseller’s experimental sustainability playground, Fashion FWD Lab acts as a catalyst for collaborations consisting of pilot projects, workshops, case studies and more, to accelerate sustainable change. In the coming months, the Fashion FWD Lab will reveal more new collaborations, ready to change the fashion industry for good.

The lab is part of Bestseller’s ambitious sustainability strategy Fashion FWD, which it says is leading the company towards a future where it is climate positive, fair for all and circular by design. Concrete goals include helping bring new sustainable fibres to the market by 2025. The Spinnova material is a great fit with the strategy, as it is climate friendly and fully upcyclable in Spinnova’s process, without harmful chemicals, the companies said.

“Bestseller has concrete goals within the strategy, and we are very confident they are achievable. Bestseller shares our sustainable values and have an open-minded, very professional, hands-on approach towards innovation. That’s just what’s needed to make sustainable materials available as fast as possible,” Janne Poranen adds.

Spinnova and Bestseller were introduced by the Fashion for Good initiative that works as a matchmaker for brands and innovators. Spinnova has been part of the Fashion for Good Scaleup programme in 2018-2020.

Bestseller is a family-owned clothing and accessories company founded in Denmark in 1975, providing fast affordable fashion for women, men, teenagers and children under brands such as Jack & Jones, Selected, Vero Moda, Only, Pieces, Vila, Object, Mamalicious, Name It and Y.A.S. Products are available online, in branded chain stores, in multi-brand and department stores.

Spinnova has developed breakthrough technology for making textile fibre from wood and waste, without harmful chemicals. The patented Spinnova fibres also include 0% waste or side streams, 0% microplastics, minimal CO2 emissions and water use. Spinnova is committed to use only sustainable raw materials, such as FSC or PEFC certified wood or waste that do not contribute to climate change. The company works with leading textile brands and industrial partners to bring Spinnova textiles to global scale. Spinnova operates an industrial scale pilot factory in Finland, scaling up to commercial volumes. It was awarded 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.bestseller.com

www.spinnova.fi