Södra Intends to Scale up Production of OnceMore Pulp
As reported by Södra in June this year, a new investment in its pulp mill at Mörrum will achieve a tenfold increase in the OnceMore production capacity while also expanding the proportion of recycled textile in the pulp.
According to Södra, Sweden’s largest forest owners association and an international forest industry group, the corporation can realize with OnceMore “the world’s first process for industrial-scale recycling of textile waste of blended fibers”. Due to the positive reaction to the solution and the growing market demand, it has decided to invest in new machinery at its pulp mill at Mörrum (Sweden). The new investment would increase the production capacity of OnceMore pulp to 6,000 tons, the Swedish producer underlined. The proportion of recycled textiles in the pulp would also go up.
The machines will be commissioned in the first half of 2022. The investment is the second step towards processing 25,000 tons of textile waste and offering OnceMore pulp based on Södra’s forest raw material and 50 percent recycled fabrics. This target has been set for 2025. OnceMore makes it possible “to convert large volumes of used cotton textiles and cotton-polyester blends into new clothing and textiles,” Södra points out on its homepage. “The RCS (Recycled Claim Standard) certified pulp is also attracting interest from the market. Södra has held several meetings with interested brands and recently signed a long-term collaborative agreement with the global textile giant Lenzing.”
The cooperation involves transferring knowledge between the two companies, which have been proactively driving the circular economy issue for years, the corresponding press release said. A joint process development had followed by a capacity expansion for pulp from post-consumer waste. The jointly developed pulp would subsequently also be used as a raw material for the production of Lenzing’s TENCEL™ x REFIBRA™ branded specialty fibers.
OnceMore had received a highly positive reception, Södra emphasized. The company would deliver regular supplies of this pulp to several textile manufacturers around the world. “This new investment and our partnership with Lenzing will help us create world-class textile recycling and grow the business. OnceMore has the potential to transform the textile industry,” Johannes Bogren, Vice President, Södra Cell Bioproducts, was quoted in a press release.
www.sodra.com/en
www.lenzing.com
(Published in GLOBAL RECYCLING Magazine 3/2021, Page 24, Photo: OnceMore)
