Ioncell Oy, which develops ecological textile fibres for the circular economy, is the first company to call Aalto University a founding shareholder. Three people walk us through the new company’s plans.
Ioncell® technology enables the production of high-quality textile fibres from wood and cellulosic textile waste in an ecologically sustainable way. Photo: Eeva Suorlahti
Antti Rönkkö, CEO and Co-Founder of Ioncell Oy:
This is an energising time – it’s fantastic to be building up a new company and help solve the textile industry’s huge sustainability challenges. I previously worked as Nanso Group’s CEO. The leap to Ioncell was not as big as you might think. Although Nanso is an old and strong Finnish clothing brand, the company behind it is rather small and has many similar characteristics as a startup, including agile way-of-working and low hierarchy. Even as the CEO, I may have considered the company strategy, then filled out Excel documents and maybe even swept the trash off the floor. At Ioncell Oy, my main task is to turn a unique technology into a lucrative business. The first major step is finding investors. Until now, Ioncell has been a research project above all; from now on, all development work will be done on commercial terms. We also need to build a team, create an organisational culture and deal with a variety of practical matters, from finding office spaces to organising healthcare. Ioncell Oy has all the makings of becoming a successful company. The textile industry needs to change: 110 million tonnes of textile fibres are produced each year globally. 99 per cent of the production is linear, which means materials are not recycled into new fibres. Virgin materials are used to make clothes that last a moment and then are tossed into the trash or burned as energy. I’m sure in ten years’ time, our children will be asking how this waste of natural resources was even possible. We can manufacture high-quality fibres from wood or recycled textiles, producing something stronger than virgin cotton, and these fibres can be recycled multiple times. The value of the global textile fibre market is around 200 billion euros annually. We are aiming for a 5–10 per cent market share, which would bring us hundreds of millions of euros in annual licensing income. We’re not competing with price but with sustainability and quality.
Ioncell Oy has all the makings of becoming a successful company. The textile industry needs to change -Antti Rönkkö
Herbert Sixta, Emeritus Professor and one of the creators of Ioncell® technology, Co-Founder of Ioncell Oy: It takes a lot of time, hard work and money to commercialise technology like Ioncell®. The technology has been proven to work in a laboratory and short shifts on pilot production lines. The next development step is to produce fibres in a continuous closed-loop mode, ensuring that the solvent is recycled nearly 100 percent and the recycling process is integrated into the manufacturing process – this is a firm requirement to ensure ecological and financial feasibility. After that, a larger demo facility will be constructed. Ioncell’s strength lies in the high quality of the resulting fibre, which is based on optimally using the qualities of cellulose molecules. Cellulose is very strong – trees and other plants made of the material can endure extreme conditions. The air-gap spinning process, using an ionic liquid as a solvent, allows the fibres’ cellulose molecules to align in parallel, which gives the fibres its strength. Ioncell® was created at Aalto University, and the collaboration with students and researchers continues to be strong. We need other expertise, as well. For example, the head of technology, who is in charge of production, needs to have solid experience in the textile industry and its requirements.
Ioncell’s strength lies in the high quality of the resulting fibre, which is based on optimally using the qualities of cellulose molecules -Herbert Sixta
