Chempolis biorefinery facilitates production of sustainable top fashion
New resources of alternative textile fibers, substituting oil-based materials as well as cotton fabrics, the production of which consumes natural resources, are on the top priority list of actions for global textile industry operators and consumers who want to make sustainable everyday choices. Many Finnish companies, such as Chempolis and Fortum, are on a journey to support the textile industry in the transfer to environmentally friendly solutions.
Finnish fashion designer Rolf Ekroth’s new collection was presented at Pitti Uomo fashion week in Florence, Italy, online event. Pitti Uomo is one of the world’s most important fashion events for men’s clothing. Ekroth has used in his collection a fabric which is based on the Bio2™Textile fiber developed in the Fortum’s Bio2X product development programme.
Bio2™Textile is based on a Finnish fiber innovation and its basic material is the straw produced as a by-product of agriculture. Chempolis has played a key part in the manufacturing of this fabric at Chempolis’ Oulu Biorefinery, using its own formicofib™ technology. formicofib™ technology utilizes straw in the most efficient way to produce the cellulose needed for the manufacture of the fiber.
“Chempolis has been focused on the long-term development of utilizing sustainable raw materials together with environmentally friendly biorefinery processes to achieve different fiber applications. It is very rewarding to see how our customer can present the results of their product development programme to an international audience and Chempolis has the opportunity to be a part of this story” says Tomi Honkala, CEO of Chempolis Ltd.
