New Ecological Fabric
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Business
Fashion Firm Marimekko Turns to Birch Tree Based Alternative to Water-Intensive Cotton
The surface of the ready textile has a dim glow and it is pleasing to the touch,"Aalto Universityintroduces their new fabric. What else should we expect, from a textile with the soul of thewhispering birchesthat glow along the edges of northern forests?
Researchers at Finland's Aalto University were inspired to develop more sustainable alternatives to natural fibers like cotton in the face of predictions thatdemand for natural fibers will double by 2030. The scientists developed a new process, called Ioncell, to turn birch pulp from Finnish pulp mills into fibers:
The production method for Ioncell has been developed by Professor Herbert Sixta's research group. The method is based on a liquid salt (ionic liquid) developed under the guidance of Professor Ilkka Kilpeläinen which is a very efficient cellulose solvent. The fibres derived from it are carded and spun to yarns at the Textile University of Börås in Sweden.
Thefun Finnish fashion company Marimekkolearned of the fabric at meetings of the Finnish Bioeconomy Cluster (FIBIC). They worked together with Professor Sixta's group to get enough of the fabric to introduce the birch dress earlier this year at their fashion show.
Read More Related Content On This Topic - Click Here
Media
Taxonomy
- Job Function
- Innovation