The development of the new Kuura textile fibre is currently in a so-called demo phase. This R&D-focused phase is a joint effort of ITOCHU Corporation and Metsä Group’s innovation company Metsä Spring. The joint venture company between the parties, which was set up in late 2018, is focusing on operating the unique demo plant in Äänekoski, Finland, whilst ITOCHU is assessing the interest in Kuura textile fibre on the markets. In collaboration with the Japanese brand THE RERACS, ITOCHU has now developed a bore fabric based on the Kuura fibre. This fabric has, in turn, been used to create a limited edition coat for the Japanese market (see picture).
“Our joint project with ITOCHU comprises two parts. On the one hand, we work on developing and testing the novel production technology and, on the other hand, we gather feedback from potential customers related to the Kuura textile fibre. It is great to see how the Kuura fibre is transformed into different end products, like the bore coat in this specific project,” says Niklas von Weymarn, CEO of Metsä Spring.