Metsä Group starts pre-engineering of Kuura textile fibre mill

Metsä Group takes a big step forward in the development of Kuura and starts pre-engineering the first commercial Kuura textile fibre mill. Its purpose is to prepare for the industrial production of Kuura fibre.

This is an important step in Metsä Group’s work to develop wood-based products of higher added value. The Kuura textile fibre is produced from softwood pulp, the raw material of which is sourced from Metsä Group’s Finnish owner-members’ forests.

The pre-engineering of the Kuura mill is expected to continue until the summer of 2026. The project entity that has now started consists of four parts: pre-engineering of the first commercial mill, the development of the Kuura fibre production process, work done with customers to facilitate market entry. The application for an environmental permit is part of the factory’s pre-engineering package.

Kuura textile fibre is a new product developed by Metsä Group, in which Finnish wood is converted into a unique textile fibre with high added value – without fossil fuels. Such textile fibres can be used to make both clothing and a variety of technical textiles. According to a recent study, Kuura’s climate impact is significantly lower than that of competing fibres.

In 2020, Metsä Group reached a significant milestone in the development of new textile fibres, when a demo plant was started up in Äänekoski, Finland. Following modifications in late 2022 and early 2023, testing and development work at the demo plant are well underway. About a year ago, Metsä Group started a pre-study on a commercial Kuura mill. During this phase, the feasibility of the mill and the viability of the Kuura business idea were examined.

Niklas von Weymarn, CEO of Metsä Group’s innovation company Metsä Spring, says that the pre-study gave promising results, which makes the Kuura project look promising, which is why the decision was made to move on to the next stage.

“According to a recent study, the global warming impact of Kuura fibre is significantly lower than that of competing products when life-cycle emissions are taken into account. The good results are explained by the fact that the industrial production of Kuura would be linked to a Metsä Group’s bioproduct mill, which does not use fossil energy. The outcome of the study will give a boost to further development”, says Niklas von Weymarn.

The pre-engineering project aims to provide all the necessary information and expertise to enable Metsä Group, eventually, to consider launching the Kuura business. If the company decides to build the mill, it is expected to produce 100,000 tonnes of textile fibre per year. The mill would be started up in Finland no earlier than in 2029.