Sateri has commercially scaled production of a viscose fiber that’s regenerated from textile waste.
The new fiber uses a mix of dissolving pulp made from recycled post-consumer textile waste by Swedish company Södra and other wood pulp certified by the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), the viscose producer said Tuesday.
“We are excited to commercialize a new product that meets the fashion industry’s aspirations for more sustainably produced textile fibers,” Allen Zhang, president of Sateri, said. “The technology to regenerate textile waste into new cellulosic fibers is emerging and technically challenging, but in the past few months our R&D team has worked hard to find the right balance between producing a recycled viscose product while maintaining high quality.
“Our ability to do so using a 35,000 ton-per annum commercial production line is a breakthrough as it means we are now ready and capable of scaling up production to respond to market demand,” Zhang added. “We see this as a win for both the environment and our customers.”
The trial run was done at Sateri’s Linz Nanjng yarn spinning mill using two advanced technologies–Siro compact and Vortex. The new fiber offers proven compatibility with existing spinning technologies, ensuring stable yarn production without the need to adjust existing processes or parameters, the company said. The fiber also has strong spinning efficiency and delivers yarn evenness and tenacity.
“Being part of the RGE group of companies allows Sateri access to world-class pulp production expertise,” Tom Liu, Sateri’s vice president for sales and marketing, said. “Coupled with our deep experience and competence in viscose production and our yarn spinning capabilities, this value chain integration puts us in a strong position to accelerate next-generation textile fiber innovation and production.”
Sateri’s breakthrough comes on the back of RGE’s announcement in October of a $200 million investment toward next-generation cellulosic fiber innovation. Sateri is working with several dissolving pulp producers using various innovative technologies to aid the push towards a circular bioeconomy.
Sateri will be collaborating with yarn customers, garment manufacturers and fashion brands to market and launch the new recycled viscose fiber product in the coming months, with the eventual goal of making recycled fiber available to the mass market.
Sateri’s five mills in China have an annual production capacity of about 1.4 million metric tons.