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Finnish firm Metsa's Kurra fibre gives positive sustainability results
18 May '21
3 min read
Pic: Cision
Finnish industry group Metsa’s Kurra textile fibre has been positively assessed by the Spanish private research organisation, Cartif, focusing on the environmental and social performance. Kuura is still in a R&D phase and the production process to make it is currently being tested and further developed at a tonne per day demo plant in Äänekoski, Finland.
In regard to environmental performance, when compared to other commercial man-made cellulosic fibres (viscose and lyocell), and to cotton, Kuura shows the lowest impact on climate change, supporting its viability as a sustainable solution in the market of textile fibres. More specifically, the use of local, sustainably managed wood raw material combined with the use of fully fossil free energy obtained from the existing industrial mill site and with a novel process for the production of Kuura textile fibre result in a product with a clear climate change mitigation potential compared to the use of existing commercial textile fibres, Metsä said in a media statement.
The social aspects of producing Kuura textile fibre were also evaluated by Cartif as they form one of the three pillars of sustainability. The results of the social impact assessment are very positive for Kuura. In other words, this kind of industrial production, in the way outlined by Metsä, would get the highest score in all impact categories included in the assessment, Metsä said.
“Using Life Cycle Thinking already in the process design phase is a smart way of keeping sustainability aspects in the spotlight from the beginning. It is encouraging to see this commitment to sustainable development in big industrial players like Metsä,” Fernando Burgoa, LCA specialist at Cartif said in a statement.
“Our manufacturing concept is based on locally-sourced wood that comes from forests owned and managed mainly by our cooperative owner-members, the use of never-dried paper-grade pulp as the raw material, and a comprehensive integration to a fossil free bio-product mill. Our own early estimate told us that the Kuura concept must be competitive in both environmental and social sustainability. Having now the proper LCA results to support this estimate gives us confidence that we are on the right track,” Niklas von Weymarn, CEO of Metsä’s innovation company, Metsä Spring said.
Cartif is a horizontal, private and non-profit research institution, whose main mission is providing innovative solutions to the industry to enhance their processes, systems and products, improving their competitiveness and creating new business opportunities.
In regard to environmental performance, when compared to other commercial man-made cellulosic fibres (viscose and lyocell), and to cotton, Kuura shows the lowest impact on climate change, supporting its viability as a sustainable solution in the market of textile fibres. More specifically, the use of local, sustainably managed wood raw material combined with the use of fully fossil free energy obtained from the existing industrial mill site and with a novel process for the production of Kuura textile fibre result in a product with a clear climate change mitigation potential compared to the use of existing commercial textile fibres, Metsä said in a media statement.
The social aspects of producing Kuura textile fibre were also evaluated by Cartif as they form one of the three pillars of sustainability. The results of the social impact assessment are very positive for Kuura. In other words, this kind of industrial production, in the way outlined by Metsä, would get the highest score in all impact categories included in the assessment, Metsä said.
“Using Life Cycle Thinking already in the process design phase is a smart way of keeping sustainability aspects in the spotlight from the beginning. It is encouraging to see this commitment to sustainable development in big industrial players like Metsä,” Fernando Burgoa, LCA specialist at Cartif said in a statement.
“Our manufacturing concept is based on locally-sourced wood that comes from forests owned and managed mainly by our cooperative owner-members, the use of never-dried paper-grade pulp as the raw material, and a comprehensive integration to a fossil free bio-product mill. Our own early estimate told us that the Kuura concept must be competitive in both environmental and social sustainability. Having now the proper LCA results to support this estimate gives us confidence that we are on the right track,” Niklas von Weymarn, CEO of Metsä’s innovation company, Metsä Spring said.
Cartif is a horizontal, private and non-profit research institution, whose main mission is providing innovative solutions to the industry to enhance their processes, systems and products, improving their competitiveness and creating new business opportunities.
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