adidas TERREX x Spinnova

It is the first knitted product to be made in part with Spinnova technology, that means that at least 30% of the fabric comes from wood-based Spinnova fibres (other fibres) that are made by grinding wood pulp with water into a paste and then spun into a textile fibre, while the remaining 70% comes from cotton (organic). adidas is committed to helping End Plastic Waste via a three-loop strategy that consists of using recycled materials, materials that can be made to be remade and in the case of Made with Nature, products created in part with natural ingredients, such as the adidas TERREX HS1.

This hoodie is a piece of multi-functional gear that works on the trails and then rolls up into its hood for easy storage or to create a pillow, and it also features UNITEFIT, an all-gender fit system created with a spectrum of sizes, genders and forms in mind. The product also works with the material’s natural color. Since no dyeing or bleaching is applied, in turn this uses less water compared to the standard dyeing process.

Carla Murphy, General Manager of adidas TERREX, explains why the partnership with Spinnova is so important: “adidas’ commitment to sustainability is long-standing. Progress is about learning and constantly moving forward, and for adidas this also means partnering to innovate in new areas. Working with Spinnova is another step forward in our journey to designing the future in balance with nature.”

“Spinnova is on a mission to transform the raw material base of the global textile industry by providing radically sustainable and high-performance textile materials” adds Spinnova’s CEO and co-founder Janne Poranen. “We are very proud of the revolutionary results our teams have accomplished together. This launch is a major milestone on our joint commercial journey.”

We had a chat with Marwin Hoffman, adidas Outdoor Global VP of Marketing, Anne Nebendahl, adidas Senior Design Director, and Janne Poranen, chief executive officer and Spinnova’s co-founder, to know more about this innovative collaboration.

What is the Spinnova technology?
Janne Poranen: The Spinnova technology enables textile fibre production out of wood but also from textile waste or agricultural waste such as wheat or barley straw. We have developed a process that uses no harmful chemicals and 99% less water than the cotton value chain.

How the collaboration with Spinnova was born?
Marwin Hoffman: Sustainability is one of the pillars of adidas. We do believe that innovation is the solution to face this challenge, which is so big and massive that we would not be able to solve it completely alone, we need to work with the best partners and brands in the industry. We believe that a very important part of innovation concerns materials, rethinking its use, using more recycled and renewable materials and natural fibres, that’s why Spinnova is so attractive to us as a partner because it perfectly fits into our three-loop strategy.

What are the main innovations of the Spinnova technology both in terms of performance and sustainability?
Janne Poranen: Talking about sustainability, we don’t use any chemical process. Using the technology we created, we only mechanically refine our pulp raw material and transform that into spinning-ready fibre suspension without harmful chemistry. No dissolving, no regeneration. Upon spinning into filament, the suspension flows through a unique nozzle at a high pressure. The right kind of extrusion causes the fibrils to rotate and align with the flow to create a natural textile fibre. The fibre is then simply dried and collected, ready for spinning into yarn. So as said before, no dissolving and no harmful products are used, that makes a big difference in terms of sustainability. It is a natural product, like a cotton filament at the end.

Anne Nebendahl: We really embraced the vision of Spinnova, we used organic cotton to blend it and we chose not to dye it. It is also a high functional product that can be easily packed and used as a cushion, and you have the freedom of movement you need in the outdoors. It is a functional piece but with an innovative production.

Towards what kind of user is TERREX’s HS1 hoodie intended for?
Anne Nebendahl: Our consumers are very tech-oriented, and they know how to layer in the outdoors. So, we made sure that the hoodie works fine with all of our rain jackets and base layers, so you can use them as one piece of layer. Ours consumers also are very attentive to sustainability but they don’t want to compromise on performance, both aspects are important to them.

Is the market really changing by choosing to realize products that are more sustainable and attentive to the planet?
Marwin Hoffman: We have been working very closely with our consumers on the issue of sustainability and what they expect from us in the future. I think the market in the upcoming years will not dictate on sustainability, it will be the younger generations who will ask for it. They have very high expectations and are very conscious about the issue. In 3-4 years they will not buy products that don’t include sustainable materials. For them sustainability is not a marketing narrative anymore, it is a given. And sustainability goes hand in hand with innovation.

What is the future direction of adidas TERREX and Spinnova? What’s now the main goal for both of your brands?
Marwin Hoffman: We have very ambitious goals both for adidas and for TERREX. We are testing new things out, trying new materials. We do believe that our consumers are more sensitive when it comes to sustainability and that is the direction we’re aiming at.

Janne Poranen: I think there’s a big gap now when it comes to technology, we have to create something new, find new textiles able to fill that gap. Something that will be more sustainable than the current solution because the current fibres are not good enough.