Infinna

Processing stages in creating Infinna fibre / Source: Infinite Fiber Company

Anti-MicrobialCelluloseEuropeInfinnaLightweightPaperRecyclableRegenerativeTextilesUpcycled

WHAT WE SAY:

Cellulose is the most abundant organic compound on Earth, with a near-limitless volume of it trapped in the waste outputs of our linear system – hundreds of millions of tonnes of textile waste, paper and cardboard, agricultural waste… the list goes on.

Infinited Fiber Company’s viscose-like production process can convert this waste into new, virgin-quality, cotton-like fibres. But don’t get too excited – the company is only now gearing up to scale after years of tests and demonstrations. How fast, how big and how cheap can it go?

Infinna

WHAT IS INFINNA?

Infinna is a regenerated Cellulose-based fibre designed to increase circularity within the textile industry.
It is currently produced from cellulose-rich, post-consumer textile waste, and has a similar look and feel to Cotton.
Because it is made from cellulose, pure Infinna is completely biodegradable and doesn’t produce microplastics.
The fibre was launched in January 2021 by Infinited Fiber Company (IFC), with the first commercially available 100% Infinna garments being released by Pangaia in April 2022.

KEY PROPERTIES:

Anti-Microbial
Lightweight
Recyclable
Regenerative
Upcycled

INDUSTRY:

Textiles

AVAILABILITY:

Limited Orders

DIVE DEEPER:

Globally, the fashion industry is responsible for around 40 million tonnes of textile waste a year, while less than 1% of cotton was recycled in 2020.
IFC’s technology enables cellulose-rich waste products to be turned into a cotton-like cellulose carbamate fibre named Infinna.
Currently, the primary input is post-consumer textile waste, but in the future, Paper, cardboard and agricultural waste could all be viable feedstocks.
Infinna can be used to produce 100% Infinna products (like Pangaia’s t-shirts), or blended with other natural fibres, such as Viscose or cotton.
Post-consumer textile waste is mechanically shredded, before the cellulose is separated out from non-cellulosic portions of the waste input, such as polyester and elastane. This means that the process can handle blended textile waste, although IFC reports that it aims for at least 80% cotton feedstocks.
The process to make the regenerated fibre does not require carbon disulfide (CS2), a harmful chemical commonly used in conventional viscose production.
Instead, the company uses urea to activate the cellulose and convert it into a powder that can be filtered and spun into fibres.
The fibres have been tested with methods including compact siro spinning, ring spinning, open-end spinning and Murata Vortex spinning.
Because the process breaks waste down to the polymer level before regenerating it into new fibres, Infinna can be infinitely recycled itself (as its name suggests).
IFC claims that Infinna has naturally occurring antimicrobial properties.
As well as textiles, IFC is also targeting the non-woven industry (such as wipes and diapers) with Infinna.
The fibre is not yet widely commercially available other than to selected brand partners. Brands using or planning to use Infinna include Zara, PVH (Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger), Pangaia, Zalando, Ganni, Wrangler, H&M and Patagonia, among others.

Fabric created from 100% Infinna fibre / Source: Infinited Fiber Company

Model wearing clothes created with Infinna fibre / Source: Infinited Fiber Company

KEY FACTS:

1%

Less than 1% of cotton was recycled in 2020 worldwide

40mn tns

of textile waste is produced each year by the global fashion industry

80%

IFC reports that it aims for at least 80% cotton feedstocks

Key Questions to Ask:

What are the outputs and emissions generating when making Infinna?

IFC reports that its process adheres to the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals’ (ZDHC) Manufacturing Restricted Substance List, which is encouraging. However, we would like to see further independent analysis of its effluent and emissions profile.

Can you get access to it, and at what cost?

Like so many exciting new circular fibres we feature, the reality is that Infinna is still a drop in the ocean – IFC’s plan is to scale up production to 30,000 tonnes by 2025, versus 68 million tonnes of synthetic fibres. The global infrastructure for textile collection and sorting is still in its infancy, and there is little indication as to how much Infinna costs.

How can you ensure you maintain end-to-end circularity when using Infinna?

Designers will play a crucial part in the shift to a lower impact fashion system by ensuring that the next generation of garments are designed for circularity from the start. Think minimal fabric blending and dyeing, easily detachable trims and fixtures (like zips and buttons), and bigger systemic shifts towards new business models such as rental and resale.

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