HELSINKI - Nonwovens manufacturer Suominen has strengthened its capabilities in sustainable products by enhancing and upgrading one of its production lines in Nakkila, Finland. The €6 million investment includes the construction of its own compost test centre which aims to determine the biodegradability of nonwovens made of renewable raw materials.
The test centre has both industrial and home compost conditions with the aim of studying biodegradability across a wide variety of environments.
In determining the biodegradability of nonwovens made of renewable raw materials, the first steps were to analyze disintegration in compost conditions to support product development. In-house compostability tests have already given impressive results by providing information that helps Suominen to claim its products to be truly compostable and make more powerful sustainability statements for the products.
Compost testing conditions are set as ~+58 °C and ~+20 ° C which represent industrial composting and home composting methods, respectively.
Tests have been made during the spring and they have shown impressive results in both industrial and home composting environments. For example, Suominen’s 100% viscose product disintegrates fully in home and industrial compost conditions in less than three weeks.
“This opportunity will support our sustainability journey and we can provide truly compostable products for our clients and make stronger statements about our products. This also gives us the opportunity to learn more about both raw materials and products and develop them further,” said Niina Salonoja, Manager, R&D.
