Infinited Fiber Company Plans $420 Million Factory
Lapland might be one of the least likely places for fashion-related production, but it will be the home of a new $420 million textile fiber factory that is planned.
The Finnish fashion and textile technology company Infinited Fiber Company will be developing its first Infinna fiber production facility at Stora Enso’s Veitsiluoto industrial site in the city of Kemi. Located in the northernmost region of Lapland, Kemi is on the northern shore of the Baltic Sea. The new factory is going to be developed and converted in a building that houses a discontinued paper production line.
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All of this might sound hum-drum, save for the sizable financial investment and the commitment of Infinna orders by major fashion powerhouses like Inditex, PVH Europe, the H&M Group, Patagonia, Pangaia and Bestseller. Slated to be operating at full capacity in 2025, the factory is expected to create approximately 270 jobs in the area. By making multiyear commitments to purchasing orders of Infinna, the apparel industry brands are helping to tip the scales toward circularity in fashion.
The fiber that will be made there is Infinna, a novel cellulosic fiber that is made entirely from textile waste. It looks and feels like cotton and can be used in a similar way in order to make textiles products like T-shirts, jeans, blouses, dresses, hoodies and other apparel. Infinna textile fiber is also biodegradable and can be recycled again in the company’s process, and it does not contain any micro plastics, a company spokeswoman said Monday.
The facility will be able to churn out 30,000 metric tons of fiber, which is equivalent to producing enough fiber for about 100 million T-shirts. Infinited Fiber Company is banking on exporting most of the output that is generated in the new factory. The fact that Kemi is a port city makes it an “efficient link to the rest of the world,” according to the company. Infinited Fiber considered dozens of other sites before choosing the Veitsiluoto industrial one. The existing infrastructure, the availability of fresh water, renewable electricity, efficient port services and skilled local labor were selling points.
Once fully up-and-running, the factory is expected to employ around 220 people and 50 more through on-site support for maintenance and logistics services. In addition, the indirect employment impact of the facility is expected to be approximately 800 jobs. The construction and installation phase of the project is expected to equal 120 people per year.
The ambitious development is an example of how Finland is trying to be a leader in textile circularity. Infinited Fiber Company aims to make use of existing resources in all that it does, according to cofounder and chief executive officer Petri Alava. “Finland has solid bio economy know-how and is very supportive of circular economy. We see this as major strengths that enable Finland to become a leader in the creation of the new, circular economy-based textile industry vale chain.”
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