Respin plans are still progressing, Spinnova says
Fibre development company Spinnova has said advancing the commercialising goals for its leather waste-based fibre will be one of its priorities for the rest of 2025 and into 2026.
The Finnish bio-based fibre manufacturer launched Respin in 2021, in partnership with wet blue and crust manufacturer KT Trading and footwear and finished leather producer. Ecco first took an interest in what Spinnova was doing around 2018.
Spinnova has had a rocky first half of 2025. It has announced its desire to set up a new international consortium of partners to scale up production of and demand for its wood-based fibre. It claims this has attracted “widespread interest” and that it intends to continue its discussions “with confidence”.
Chief executive, Janne Poranen, explained that Spinnova had endured a tough time because a Brazilian partner, Suzano, withdrew in February from joint-projects to scale up wood-based fibre production.
After carrying out a review of the business, Spinnova has now taken full ownership of the companies it set up jointly with Suzano.
With the end of their joint-venture agreement, Spinnova will now be able to license the technology for producing the fibres freely. It has also taken full ownership of the only large demo facility for producing Spinnova fibre from wood pulp.
Spinnova has said these outcomes give it confidence that it is on the right track, and that its plans for the future are realistic. It added that it had received positive feedback from brands on the functionality of its fibres.
