Kuura – textile fibre from Finnish forests

Kuura is a textile fibre developed by Metsä Group and it’s produced at the demo plant located in our Äänekoski mill area. Kuura is produced from northern softwood pulp that is suitable for the production of, for example, paper and paperboard. Our aim to respond to the growing demand for textile fibres by introducing an alternative to cotton, synthetic fibres made from oil such as polyester, and other cellulosic fibres. Kuura fibre does not cause microplastic problems and the fibre is recyclable as other cellulosic fibres. Furthermore, Metsä Group can trance the wood raw-material back to local forests.

The softwood pulp used in the production of Kuura fibre is produced at Metsä Group’s bioproduct mill in Äänekoski that is the world's first fossile-free pulp-producing mill. Since, the production of Kuura textile fibre is closely integrated to the bioproduct mill, which produces renewable energy beyond its own nees, Kuura can be produced efficiently without fossile-based energy. Based on the results of the ongoing demo plant project, Metsä Group is evaluating the investment to a commercial mill and thus the start of a textile fibre business.

Since Kuura fibre consists mainly of cellulose, it can replace other cellulose-containing fibres such as cotton and other wood-based fibres. Wood-based fibres include viscose, modal, and lyocell fibres. The most well-known lyocell fibre is commercially known as Tencel.

The durability in use of the textiles made from Kuura fibre is at the same level as textiles made from cotton or typical wood-based fibres. The specialty of these fibres is that they are durable in use but if they end up in nature, they decompose into sugars, and the sugars eventually become food for various organisms living in the nature.

In 2023, 93% of all the wood traded by Metsä Group was certified. We know the origin of the wood in all the countries from which we acquire it. Kuura fibre is designed to be produced from wood that is sourced only from certified forests. The origin of Kuura's wood raw material is therefore fully traceable, and the information is also available afterwards if necessary. Currently, the audit conducted by an external party covers the wood supply chain from the forest to the pulp. If the decision to build a Kuura mill is made, official traceability will be extended to cover Kuura fibre as well. The implementation of this phase would be simple, as the pulp used for the production of Kuura would be supplied from the neighbouring Metsä Group’s bioproduct mill.

Metsä Group has a total of five pulp-producing mills in Finland and Sweden. Metsä Group uses approximately half of the pulp currently produced for its own operations, and half is sold to various customers. The Kuura concept would be one way for Metsä Group to further process the pulp in Finland and therefore to increase the processing value of pulp. The industrial production of Kuura fibre would not add pressure to increase the logging levels in Finland.

We are constantly looking for new, higher-value-added uses for Finnish wood. The most valuable part of the wood we use, the log, is used in the construction industry, forming long-term carbon storage. Pulpwood, i.e., wood obtained from thinning and small-diameter trunk wood, is used as a raw material for pulp production, from which various paper and cardboard products are processed.

Metsä Group’s primary purpose is the processing of the wood raw material of our parent company, Metsäliitto Cooperative. Our main goal is therefore to develop a new method that would enable the further processing of Metsä Group's pulp in Finland. We aim to be the most responsible and desirable operator in this segment. We believe that there are different cycles in a functioning circular economy. Alongside the direct recycling of side streams and used materials, there is also a longer cycle where carbon circulates through carbon dioxide. Alongside our main concept, we closely monitor the development of markets and legislation.

The developed production method is fundamentally flexible because it is designed to use so-called paper pulp. If the recycled material is of sufficient quality (comparable to paper pulp), Kuura fibre can be produced from it. This has been practically demonstrated on a laboratory scale.

The availability of recycled raw material suitable for textile fibre production is likely to increase in the future. Currently, cellulose-containing waste (e.g. cotton textile waste) is mainly imported to Europe from Asia. Therefore, it may take until to 2030s before the availability in Europe is at a sufficient level. In addition, when comparing the use of fresh fibre and recycled fibre, it is good to examine the life cycle analysis results of different options. Although recycling is a desirable thing, it also has its environmental footprint. For example, long transport from Asia and processing recycled fibre into recycled pulp that is suitable as a raw material also cause environmental impacts.

Yes. Different components are typically mixed either at the yarn production stage (different fibres) or the fabric production stage (different yarns). This kind of mixing is very common in the textile industry. We have experimentally mixed Kuura fibre with recycled synthetic fibre (this was used to make bus seat upholstery fabric) and fibre made from agricultural straw. Kuura fibre can therefore also be mixed with recycled fibre.

No. The overconsumption problem of the textile industry is a broad and multi-layered phenomenon. A single fibre innovation is not a solution to overconsumption. However, we believe that the textile industry needs innovations and investments in development at many levels. One of them can be Kuura fibre. We have invested in sustainable forest management, for example, by adopting the principles of regenerative forestry. The goal of regenerative forestry is to strengthen the state of forest nature verifiably by 2030. Find more information about regenerative forestry and its practical measures in the forests.