Geography in the News: Finland wants to transform how we make clothes

Around the world, an estimated 92 million tonnes of textiles waste is created each year, and this figure is set to rise to more than 134 million tonnes by 2030, if clothing production continues along its current track. However, Finnish start-up Infinited Fiber has invested heavily in a technology which can transform textiles, that would otherwise be burned or sent to landfills, into a new clothing fibre.

This new fibre is called Infinna, and is already being used by global fashion brands such as H&M and Zara. The fibre looks and feels like cotton - soft and fluffy but it is produced through a complex, multi-step process which starts with shredding old textiles and removing synthetic materials and dyes, and ends. The end product can then replace cotton and synthetic fibres in the production of jeans, t-shirts, dresses and any other piece of clothing.

The science behind this hi-tech product has been around for ages - however in the last few years large-scale production has become possible, which is great news for shoppers who are increasing trying to make ethical choices regarding clothes production

This is a really useful article for those of you teaching about fast fashion. You can read the full article here - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/bus...