You make the material difference

Of course as we approach the second half of the second year of a pandemic we have all faced challenges. The situation remains serious but there are signs that during quarter three and four we will get closer to ”normal”.

As already indicated, the limitations we see in the availability of raw materials may seem somewhat contradictory given the large volumes that end up as waste. There are several challenges – partly that our process today is dependent on white cotton/polyester textiles, but also the lack of large-scale collection systems with technology which can sort textiles based on fibre content. The pandemic has also played its part in limiting supply.

The great news is that during 2021 we have run monthly production campaigns with OnceMore® pulp and plan to continue monthly during the autumn. So far we have used more than 100 tonnes of textiles and need a further 150 tonnes for the remaining campaigns.

Together with you as suppliers, we have now started collecting textiles in Sweden, Norway and Denmark. We are also in discussion about fundraising in additional countries in Europe.

Our efforts to broaden the material base with coloured textiles have progressed and we have now reached a point when we can plan for a large-scale trial at our facility in Mörrum where OnceMore® is manufactured. The development of the decolorization process has relied on your ability, as suppliers, to assist us with knowledge about dyeing techniques and choice of pigment. Thanks to our new collaboration with Lenzing, our journey to broaden our raw material base can proceed faster. We will return to the subject of this collaboration and decolorization initiatives later.

Södra has now confirmed the next investment step at Mörrum, which will enable production based on 2,000 tonnes of recycled textiles, with the goal of producting 6,000 tonnes of OnceMore® (pulp with a 20 percent cotton content), during the second half of 2022. This is an important step towards achieving the target for the plant of 25,000 tonnes of textile raw material.

Today the vast majority of our textiles come from laundries such as yours, and the origin is almost exclusively hotels, restaurants and healthcare. We are very grateful for your contribution to our development journey. We have previously mentioned our plan to invite you as a supplier to our facility in Mörrum during the autumn of 2021. This remains our goal but we are of course beholden to Covid restrictions.

Wishing you a wonderful summer, and once again, a big ”thank you” for your commitment and your deliveries for OnceMore®. We are building the future together! 

Niclas Berg, raw material manager OnceMore®
Helena Claesson, project manager OnceMore®