Fiber and textiles companies are investing significantly in sustainable efforts to extend the life of goods, make them more degradable over time, and lessen the role of toxic chemicals in their manufacturing. One textile, polyester, is a significant area of focus because of its problematic environmental qualities. It is however not a fiber that is going away any time soon. Instead, it is being reimagined with solutions to maintain its versatile use but amplify its bio-factor.
Making a splash at the Index® show in April 2023 as an exhibitor, Fiberpartner caught our attention with their clever branding, “Polyester is No Longer Immortal.” The company is all about “fixing” polyester. Fiberpartner is an advisor and supplier of textile fibers with a clear mission to lead the transition to non-petroleum-based fibers. Acting as a trusted advisor, they connect fiber producers with global clients in the non-woven and filling sectors.
Their mission is to minimize the environmental impact of fiber products through continuous testing and investment in innovative, responsible solutions. In 2020, they became the global licensee of PrimaLoft® Bio™, a groundbreaking technology that makes synthetic insulation and fabric fibers biodegradable.
Their mission is to minimize the environmental impact of fiber products through continuous testing and investment in innovative, responsible solutions. In 2020, they became the global licensee of PrimaLoft® Bio™, a groundbreaking technology that makes synthetic insulation and fabric fibers biodegradable.
We all need partnerships. We need to take a common responsibility and at the same time, keep our businesses running healthy. We needed each other.
The company won the 2023 Index® Innovation Award for another product, BicoBio® – a bico stable fiber comprised of biobased PE mix with recycled PET, combined with PrimaLoft® Bio™ inside, and designed to biodegrade in various environments, including ocean water, wastewater, landfills, and soil.
The 160-year-old Danish company with the energy of a start-up is on a mission to fix polyester; they supply polyester, polypropylene, and bi-component stable fibers, divided in three categories: virgin, recycle and bio to meet the technical and logistical needs of its growing clientele. The segments they serve include hygiene, automotive, home & apparel, fiberfill, nonwovens and spinning.
International Fiber Journal caught up with the CEO Thomas Wittrup at the recent Techtextil in Frankfurt, Germany, to discuss their strong momentum in what almost seems to be a personal mission effort to change the fiber industry.
International Fiber Journal: Your company has a long history, yet you have reinvented your mission. Tell us about how you ended up here today.
Thomas Wittrup: Fiberpartner is a family business based in Denmark that goes back about 160 years, established in 1860 by Theodor Wittrup; I am generation number five. We used to produce woolen products like blankets, yarn, and carpets. That segment of the company was sold in 1976 to a major Danish carpet manufacturer by my father, Ole Wittrup. Then, my father started importing similar yarns, machinery, and technology.
I joined the company in 1999, bringing my background in the nonwovens industry to it. Expanding into synthetics, I founded Fiberpartner when this was really emerging. In 2001, China became a part of the World Trade Organization. So, I went to China, locating different manufacturing partners, and throughout the years, we’ve since opened locations in different places, like Mexico and South Africa. We have now had an office in Sofia, Bulgaria, for five years handling the eastern European corridor
Our headquarters are located in Denmark, and we currently have 17 employees, making our organization relatively small.
IFJ: Explain the product development and growth of the company in recent years.
Wittrup: In terms of volume, we are growing, serving small and large customers globally. Recently, we made an agreement with Stein Fibers to handle distribution of our responsible products in the U.S., such PrimaLoft® Bio™ – an additive technology specifically developed to return to materials found in nature to reduce the environmental impact of microfibers and garments throughout their life. The additive attracts microbes, which then eat and digest the fiber in about three years rather than 1,000. With this, you have the beauty and properties of polyester, yet they are biodegradable. It can be done on virgin or recycled fibers.
Also, we are about more than providing fiber solutions to increase sustainability. We also help the customer to communicate and declare the environmental benefits. Especially in Europe, it’s quite strict on what you can and cannot say. We have teamed up with a leading commercial consultancy in Copenhagen to help us communicate appropriately with our customers, but most importantly, our customers’ customer. So, what can they say? What can they claim? The wording is important in all that.
So that’s a differentiating part of our company; not only the technology, but also the communication – how can we help our customers to avoid greenwashing accusations.
Our latest addition is a fully biobased fiber named PolyPlant®. The idea is a Standard PLA, with a percentage of an additive technology made from sugarcane. It enhances the standard properties of PLA in terms of soft touch, elongation, tenacity, and biodegradation. We take some of the cons of standard PLA, and adding our technology, we’re changing them so it’s easy for the customers to process. The end product is very close to the polyester. It is certified biobased and certified biodegradable, so that’s fairly new for Fiberpartner. We’ve been working on this for the last eight months.
At this exhibition, we are launching a PLA microfiber core sheath, which is very softly cannot feel the difference. It is a fiber for spun lace, and a short cut for wet laid. We expect to have a composability certificate soon.
Especially in Europe, it’s quite strict on what you can and cannot say. So, what can they say? What can they claim? The wording is important in all that.
IFJ: What kind of customers are you attracting right now?
Wittrup: Right now, we see massive interest in any sustainable solution. Our approach is a one-stop shopping, meaning whatever is the aspiration of the client in terms of, responsible fiber production is, we have a solution. Meaning, whether they are looking for a recycled polyester fiber, a recycled biodegradable fiber, a virgin biodegradable fiber or a bio-based biodegradable fiber, we have those options.
The idea is to create solutions at different levels of a sustainable approach. Of course, there is a premium to biobased, but we work with them on the kind of products they are you going to make, and the idea is to give the customer all the options. Part of our 10-year strategy is also to develop a carbon neutral or even carbon negative fiber over the next couple of years. We are already in the process and hope to have something to share in the next 20 months.
IFJ: When you started Fiberparter, basically reinventing it from your original family
business, did you intend to go in this direction?
Wittrup: I think this has increased in importance and impact over the last five years or so. Today, more than 70% of our total volume is either 100% or mixed recycled content. And we are trying to increase that volume as much as we can. We see that being a Danish company helps us in terms of credibility as Denmark is known as a front-runner on the sustainability agenda.
Our Danish roots have shaped us profoundly. In Denmark, we hold the nature in high regard, and our commitment to innovation is ingrained in our DNA. This definitely sets us apart.
IFJ: Will we see the pricing of biomaterials come down soon or over time?
Wittrup: Of course, right now there is a premium, and that is an entry barrier because who is going to pay? In Europe, there are upcoming regulations that will push the transformation forward, but we also need partners who are eager and willing to jump on this and see the long-term perspectives, so we can increase the volume and then reduce the cost.
Luckily, we have lots of partners, but we’re always looking for others to make that kind of difference. Of course, we also need to make a business.
Our core business of recycled polyester fiber is helping us to develop new responsible solutions. I think in all business – not only for fibers – the coming transition is a difficult balance of keeping the core business healthy and operating, and also generating resources for development. Consumers may still be hesitating – asking themselves if they want to pay more for biodegradable products.
However, in Europe, with Scope 3, large companies with more than 500 employees must report on carbon footprint improvements, and that is generating a lot of demand. So, the regulations will be driving the development. I’m not particularly fond of regulations, but I must admit in this case, it helps. And maybe if we are going to see the necessary change, this is the way forward.
IFJ: How did the arrangement with Stein Fibers come about? And why them?
Wittrup: We met at Index® by coincidence and started talking. We are a little ahead on the sustainable agenda. They are very strong in their U.S. distribution. We have found that in the U.S., you really need a strong distribution channel. We have seen quite a lot of interest in the solutions, but were not able to supply according to what is required from the U.S. Ultimately, Stein was looking for solutions like ours, and we were looking for someone like Stein. They are very nice and skilled people with good distribution, and a long-term strategy. So we decided, to work exclusively together on this for North America and Mexico.
IFJ: What does the future look like to you and how long do you think it will take to achieve a more sustainable industry?
Wittrup: What we see is a lot of promising technologies popping up in lots of places. People are trying to find sustainable solutions. In my opinion, there will not be one solution. There will be many and it will be much more fragmented than it is today. Also, if we only address polyester, the current capacity has been built up over the last 50 years. It will take a while before enough capacity is simply available, in terms of processing. So again, if we talk polyester fiber, you need enough raw material of something that can be divided into many.
I think the nonwovens industry will be a challenged by of many types of sustainable solutions – different technologies for different applications. Investments should be considered long term, and, with that, it will be much more complex. Regulatory compliance also requires much more transparency for the whole supply chain. How do we keep those investments coming and, simultaneously, reduce the cost so the consumers will adapt?
IFJ: What do you what do you do about high-production textile countries that focus on low cost goods? How can they change and still maintain their marketplace?
Wittrup: They’re producing what their customers want. Yet, even Chinese and other manufacturers are now seeking more responsible solutions because customers are asking for them. I think it will be a mix of a push and a pull between manufacturers, retailers, and consumers. Export/import laws may even come into play or consumers in America will determine what is bought and sold. It’s a long road to get there.
We’re starting in Europe. To some degree it is about being conscious to the quality. Maybe there is a shift to higher quality that lasts longer. I think the younger generations, whether it’s Europe or U.S., are seeing this increasingly as a more serious issue.
We have quite a few exciting things in the pipeline, and we are trying to shift ourselves to becoming an integrator of different technologies – innovative, responsible ideas – bringing those options to our customers and partnership discussions.
Nobody, not even the largest companies, can do this alone. We all need partnerships. We need to take a common responsibility and at the same time, keep our businesses running healthy. No company is an island. We needed each other.
