A process that turns wood pulp into yarn and a vegan wool alternative made from hemp and coconut fibers have respectively earned a spot in Fashion for Good\u2019s Scaling Programme and a prize in the 2018 Biodesign Challenge.<\/p>\n
Spinnova is the latest addition to Fashion for Good\u2019s Scaling Programme, through which the company will be supported through milestones on a roadmap to scale for 18 months. Spinnova is the Finnish developer of a cellulose fibre with a \u201cbreakthrough production process\u201d that turns wood pulp directly into yarn with a uniquely small footprint. It does not use any harmful chemicals or water and does not involve energy-consuming steps, dissolving or other complex chemical processes. As such, the process presents opportunities to create a circular fiber production system. Spinnova claims its method uses up to 99 percent less water than producing cotton.<\/p>\n
The company aims to reach industrial scale by year-end through their new pilot factory. Future business models include partnering with brands by licensing the technology or setting up joint ventures for fibre production.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a fantastic relationship with Fashion for Good and are very much looking forward to the programme,\u201d said Spinnova CEO Janne Poranen. \u201cWorking with brands and developing the fibre to suit specific applications is the way we have strategically chosen to commercialize our innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a Scaling Programme participant, Spinnova gains access to Fashion for Good\u2019s network of corporate partners, business advisors and industry experts, enabling it to accelerate the development and adoption of its fibre. Spinnova is the ninth participant in the Programme, joining ColorZen, The Infinited Fiber Company, Softwear Automation Inc, Tamicare, Worn Again, Ambercycle, bext360 and Tyton Biosciences.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a group of design students from the Universidad de los Andes in Bogot\u00e1, Colombia earned the PETA Prize for Animal-Free Wool <\/a>in the 2018 Biodesign Challenge. Woocoa is a vegan wool alternative made from hemp and coconut fibers treated with enzymes extracted from the oyster mushroom.<\/p>\n Through a partnership among PETA, investment firm Stray Dog Capital and Stella McCartney Ltd., the 2018 Biodesign Challenge sought a biofabricated vegan wool for the first time. College students from participating schools \u2013 such as the University of British Columbia, University of California, Davis, University of Toledo, the Fashion Institute of Technology and Parsons School of Design, to name a few \u2013 were given one semester to envision how cells, microbes, and other living things can remake the products and processes of our made world.<\/p>\n Teams striving for the Animal-Free Wool Prize were tasked with creating a viable alternative to natural wool. PETA launched the Prize as a way to develop sustainable materials that spare animals\u2019 suffering and more specifically, to take aim at the wool industry, which the organization has found abuses sheep on top of the environmental impacts of methane, soil erosion and waterway contamination.<\/p>\n Student teams were advised to take into consideration the material\u2019s lifecycle, production processes, disposal, and potential for recycling, as well as explore how the biomaterial manufacturing process might scale up to be compatible with or even propel today\u2019s garment industry. Of the seven teams that participated, three were selected as finalists: Woocoa<\/a>, Kerasynth<\/a> and Werewool.<\/p>\n