Fibre manufacturer Infinited Fiber Company is all set to scale up production of its regenerated textile fibre Infinna in light of the continued and growing demand for the fibre.
- The company says that the market impacts of the ongoing war in Ukraine—including the increased uncertainty on the global utility, commodity and financial markets—have highlighted the need to proceed rapidly with technology scaling on multiple fronts.
- This statement comes in the backdrop of the plans announced earlier in June that the company was building the first commercial-scale Infinna factory in Kemi, Finland. Those plans are said to be on track.
- Infinna is a textile fibre that can be created 100% from cotton-rich textile waste.
The Kemi Factory: Infinited Fiber Company had announced in June that it planned to build a factory to produce Infinna at the site of a discontinued paper mill in Kemi.
- The factory is expected to create around 270 jobs in the area and to have an annual production capacity of 30,000 metric tonnes, equivalent to the fibre needed for about 100 million t-shirts.
- The Kemi factory’s customer-base includes several of the world’s leading apparel companies, with most of the future production capacity already sold out for several years.
- The first commercial fibre deliveries from Kemi are now expected to begin in January 2026.
- The scope of the project remains unchanged and construction work at the site is expected begin during 2023 as announced.
The Current Context: Since June, Infinited has advanced the site-specific basic engineering, recruitment planning, vendor selection, and permit processes according to plan.
- The limited component availability caused by the continuing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have, however, prolonged significantly the delivery times for some of the key equipment and machinery needed for the factory.
- As a result of these developments, Infinited has re-evaluated its overall factory project timeline.
- Additionally, the European energy crisis sparked by the war in Ukraine has caused the electricity prices in Finland to roughly triple, and the prices of some of the key chemicals needed in the fibre regeneration process have risen by some 200-300% since the start of the war.
The Official Explanation: Infinited Fiber Company Chief Executive and Co-Founder Petri Alava made the following remarks:
- According to our advisors and other experts, utility and commodity prices are forecast to normalise before 2026, when we now expect the first commercial fibre deliveries from Kemi to be shipped.
- In addition to the likely normalisation of the market, the extended timeline enables us to undertake the necessary measures to develop the profitability of the future factory.
- The growing demand for Infinna, despite the general turbulence, is an encouraging and clear indication of the fashion industry’s commitment to circularity.
- We are not immune to the global market context in which we operate. The supply chain issues stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic are still wreaking havoc, and the ongoing war in Ukraine has dealt a heavy blow to the global utility, commodity, and financial markets – and to us.
- We are satisfied with the progress at the site of our planned commercial-scale factory and the opening of the factory remains our key priority.
- The current, unstable market environment has highlighted the need for us to also accelerate efforts to simultaneously pursue other avenues for scaling production, with the ultimate aim of serving our customers in the best possible way in the long run.
