Metsä Group’s Kuura textile fibre achieved an improved scoring based on the audit arranged by not-for-profit environmental organisation Canopy. The annual Hot Button Ranking is a well-established tool used in the global textile and fashion industry to assess the sustainability of wood-based textile fibre supply chains.
The Kuura textile fibre, made out of pulp from the Äänekoski bioproduct mill, was again awarded a ‘Green Shirt’ rating, the requirements of which are a risk-free, transparent supply chain and traceable raw materials. The ‘Green Shirt’ is the highest possible rating level.
The encouraging results of this environmental assessment steer the development work related to Kuura and pave the way into a sustainable textile industry.
“Despite the stricter audit criteria our Kuura textile fibre improved its scoring in this year ranking. This tells us that our concept is built, in terms of sustainability, on a very solid ground,” says Niklas von Weymarn, CEO of Metsä Spring, Metsä Group’s innovation company.
Today, the Kuura textile fibre is produced in a demo plant by Metsä Spring. The plant is located in Äänekoski, Finland.
Kuura is still in a research and development phase, which involves testing and developing the production process at the Äänekoski demo plant and testing market interest. The plant can produce a maximum of one tonne of textile fibre per day. Metsä Group will consider investing in a larger textile fibre mill, if the feasibility of the manufacturing method and market interest in Kuura can be proved. Such a larger textile fibre mill would be integrated to a bioproduct mill.
Read more about the Hot Button Ranking here.