Events

New textile applications from underutilized plant-based side streams

Exhibitions

This exhibition showcases a new method to produce textiles from cellulose-rich raw material without the use of toxic chemicals or expensive solvents.

Sample of Norratex — Fabric produced by using the new plant-based textile fibre made from straw. Photo: Pentti Pällijeff

When

7.9.–12.10.2022

Where

Väre

V2 Gallery, 2nd floor

Camilla is processing dried Water Hyacinth at Aalto University — Camilla Inkeroinen is processing dried water hyacinth, another possible raw material for NBG’s process, at Aalto University. Photo: Pentti Pällijeff

There's a big demand for sustainable, commercially viable recycled or alternative textile fibres. Several innovations in Finland have birthed spin-off companies, such as Ioncell fibre, Spinnova and Infinited Fibre Company. A new member to join this ecosystem is Nordic Bioproducts Group (NBG), which is a company that has developed a new method to produce textiles from cellulose-rich raw material without the use of toxic chemicals or expensive solvents.

NBG will present a plant-based textile fibre made from straw, but the process can also be used to utilise other cellulosic agricultural waste and for example textile waste. As a by-product, the process produces sugars that can be fed to microbes to produce a colorful biological dye.

Agricultural plant-based waste is currently underutilized as it is mostly left on the land, used as animal feed or, in many cases, incinerated. With the technology developed by NBG completely new, higher value products can however be produced from these feedstocks.