New bioyarn will help keep leather in circulation, Spinnova says
Biomaterials company Spinnova published its annual report for 2022 on April 5. In the document, the company said its Respin product, a yarn it makes from leather waste, enhances leather’s circular-economy credentials.
Spinnova launched Respin in 2021 as a joint venture with Ecco Leather and wet blue, crust and split supplier KT Trading. It ran a pilot production trial of Respin at its plant in Jyväskylä, Finland, during 2022.
The success of this pilot led Spinnova and Ecco to announce earlier this year that they would forge ahead with plans to commercialise the product and would carry out a feasibility study for the first commercial Respin factory, to be located in the Netherlands, the home of Ecco Leather and its principal tannery.
Co-founder and chairman of Spinnova, Janne Poranen, has confirmed that Respin is now moving from its pilot phase to the industrial phase. And once made into Respin yarn, leather waste can be a key component of new woven or knitted materials for use in a variety of applications.
In its annual report, Spinnova said: “It is crucial for any leather that is produced to stay in use and circulation for as long as possible, and Respin provides a solution to this through upcycling waste into new textile fibres.”
