Metsä Group has completed a new Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of its Kuura textile fibre. The assessment shows that Kuura's global warming potential (GWP100, fossil) score is less than one-third of the next best option, viscose.

The Kuura project is currently in a demonstration phase. The new textile fibre is being developed by Metsä Group's innovation company Metsä Spring. The LCA was made by Etteplan. The LCA study and comparison to alternative cellulosic fibres were critically reviewed by RISE Research Institutes of Sweden.

GWP is a term used to describe the relative potency, molecule for molecule, of a greenhouse gas, considering how long it remains active in the atmosphere. Kuura's GWP is only one-fourth of cotton fibre and up to over 80 percent lower than the impact of the closest reference commercial product, lyocell fibre.

Kuura's production process is currently being tested and developed at a greenfield demo plant located in Äänekoski, Finland. The demo plant's nominal capacity is approximately one tonne per day.

"Metsä Group aims to introduce a new textile fibre product to the market that would be competitive on many different metrics. Environmental impacts, and in particular the potential to mitigate climate change, are one key metric. We are very pleased that our new assessment with external experts shows that our chosen concept has great potential. This will give impetus to further development," says Niklas von Weymarn, CEO of Metsä Spring.

Contributing to Kuura's success is the fact that it would, on an industrial scale, be produced integrated to a Metsä Group bioproduct mill. These do not use any fossil energy and are among the most efficient pulp-producing mills globally. In practice, a bioproduct mill generates significant amounts of excess renewable energy, which could be used to meet the energy demand of producing the Kuura textile fibre.

Additionally to the LCA results, Kuura textile fibre has also achieved good scores in the 2024 Hot Button Ranking - a sustainability evaluation arranged by the Canadian not-for-profit environmental organisation Canopy. Kuura was awarded for the 4th consecutive year with a 'Green Shirt' rating, the requirements of which are a risk-free, transparent supply chain and traceable raw materials.

Link to LCA results:

https://www.metsagroup.com/metsaspring/portfolio/textile-fibre-from-paper-grade-pulp/