Refit Wool: the new Favini paper of creative reuse from the world of fashion

FAVINI REFIT WOOL
Type of organisation or company
Country
Italy
City
ROSSANO VENETO
Language for original content
Key Area
Project elaborated in partnership
No
Start/End date
Ongoing
Yes
Type of funding
Favini
Description

Refit Wool, launched in 2019, is an innovative sustainable material inspired by the world of fashion. It includes fibres from industrial yarn and textile processing. It is developed in accordance to circular economy principles. The waste product is taken from wool textile manufacturing processes, often left as fluff on the side of the machine, and, after a special treatment, it is introduced into the pulp used to make Refit Wool.

Generally, these wool processing residues are sent for use as sound-absorbing material or asphalt fillers, which gives a durable product, but one which is neither recyclable nor biodegradable and most of it is largely destined for landfill disposal.

Favini has found a way to creatively reuse these wool residues in paper production. Refit Wool is produced, becoming a 100% recyclable and biodegradable ecological paper, printable and convertible, thus creating an excellent high quality paper.

Main activity field
Main results

Refit Wool includes:

  • 15% of fibres from textile processing by-products of wool,
  • 40% FSC certified post-consumer recycled fibres and
  • 45% of FSC certified virgin wood pulp fibres and uses EKOenergy.

For the production of Refit Wool paper:

  • the textile by-products used are of Italian origin and come from wool carding and spinning;
  • additional chemicals are not required;
  • the transformation process of cotton by-products into an alternative raw material for paper production involves a simple mechanical processing of fraying and cutting of the fibres;
  • the wool residues visible on the surface give a distinctive look and a rough tactile feel to the Refit Wool paper, which enhances the intrinsic characteristics of this by-product of the wool processing.