Forest Fabrics

Purpose and goal

The purpose of Forest Fabric is to develop and investigate possible applications for Swedish paper textiles through process development and prototypes. Functionalization on paper did not achieve the desired effect, treatment of yarn and fabric has shown good effect especially in terms of processability. Production at industrial scale and the development of prototypes for different applications show the width of market opportunities and a potential to contribute to the transition towards bio-based economy and reduction of the textile industry´s environmental impact.

Expected results and effects

The improvement in elasticity and softness could not be achieved with the material choices and processes at paper level that where evaluated. Treatments on yarn and fabric show potential and have enabled production in industrial machinery and at normal production speed. Prototype manufacturing and market analyses show opportunities for interior design and technical textiles, but also limitations for certain types of apparel. The project now leads to commercialization for several project participants but also continued research on improved mechanical properties.

Planned approach and implementation

The project team covering the entire value chain has been important in understanding requirements for characteristics, appearance and function that need to be met for stakeholders in different stages. Production at industrial scale is time consuming during development but provides fantastic opportunities for upscaling and commercialization of results. It has therefore been a challenge to coordinate parallel activities and at the same time produce material step to step, in time, facing that prototypes and evaluations could partly not be carried out on fully optimized material.