Although the term “nonwoven” may be unfamiliar to most people, the concept of woven materials is something they’ve already known about. Nonwoven materials are practically all around us all the time.
At Sporda, we usually sum up nonwoven materials as: More than meets the eye. What do we mean by this? Quite simply:
Nonwoven materials are found in nearly every type of product. From when you sit in your car in the morning to when you get seated in the office or bring the children to preschool, you are surrounded by nonwoven materials. The air your breathe in your car is usually filtered through nonwoven material. When you fall asleep at night, you might be resting on a bed partly made of nonwoven materials.
The thing about nonwoven materials is that they are seldom seen! It is namely nonwoven materials that create a comfortable acoustic environment in your car or at your office, and which filter out the dust and pollen in ventilation systems. Nonwoven materials are what make your blanket feel just cool enough to give you a good night’s sleep. Nonwoven is your invisible companion.
Nonwoven as a construction material
Our product range includes nonwoven materials that are suitable substitutes for plastic and wood in compression moulding. You will also find high-density nonwoven materials that provide both buoyancy and rebounding properties – perfect for the creation of comfortable seating, mattresses or other comfort products. On the other hand, if you are looking for products aimed at reducing human comfort, we can also provide the perfect nonwoven solutions for these purposes. We can offer natural materials that come with antimicrobacterial properties, as well as materials with anti-mite functions.
The synthetic fibres found in most Sporda products primarily consist of recycled polyester from
PET bottles. The synthetic fibres are recyclable, cause no allergies and are both eco-friendly and user-friendly.
We offer fibre made of PLA (polylactic acid). PLA is a naturally degradable, thermoplastic and aliphatic polyester made from renewable raw materials, such as corn starch or cane sugar.
The first step in sustainability processing is to avoid discarding more material than is necessary. If we can recover materials from processes or even recapture products used by consumers, we would be closer to achieving a sustainable circular economy. At Sporda, we recycle all of our waste as new materials.
For our natural fibre, we have chosen to use, whenever possible, natural materials that are locally produced – within Europe. We strive to avoid natural materials that must be shipped and produced beyond the scope of our controls.
Hemp is a natural fibre included in Sporda’s product range. The plant is grown and harvested within the EU. Hemp offers numerous advantages, in terms of the environment. The plant requires minimal watering and is both hardy and fast growing. Hemp grows in most climate zones and thrives in nutrient deficient soil. Another benefit of hemp is that it absorbs more carbon dioxide than what it releases during its lifespan. If you are looking for a natural fibre with better than usual insulation properties, please consider using hemp fibre.
The wool fibre in Sporda’s product range mainly originates from New Zealand sheep (but not merino). This deviation from our philosophy of using locally produced materials is due to availability, price and quality. Due to its extremely limited availability, Swedish wool features relatively insignificantly in our production – but it is there.
Wool is a fantastic fibre with phenomenal insulation properties – even in wet conditions. If you’ve ever owned woollen underwear, you would certainly have experienced that wool fibre allows for efficient moisture wicking. Keep in mind that if you wish to use wool fibre in furniture, you will need to use some very dense fabric to hold the wool fibre in.
Humans have been using cotton as a plant fibre for thousands of years. The soft and durable properties of cotton fibre makes it an excellent material for fabrics. Sporda mainly uses cotton in products intended to absorb moisture. For example, a mattress that contains cotton fibres feels cooler in the summer.
Cotton cultivation requires considerable resources, such as water, fertilisers and pesticides – something to be aware of from the perspective of sustainability. As a better sustainable choice, Sporda’s cotton fibres are extracted from recycled threads produced in Germany.
Flax is a plant-based material that has been used since the stone ages, with the oldest discovered flax fabric originating from Egypt in 5,000 BC. Flax can be cultivated in rainy and cool climates with relatively little fertilisation. The plant is inherently resistant to diseases, which allows for flax to manage better without the use of pesticides (compared with cotton, for example).
Viscose is made by breaking down and restructuring cellulose from wood pulp. Although the raw material itself is natural, its processing can have a considerable impact on the environment, due to the use of chemicals. However, the processing methods are being refined constantly, which is generating ever-greater interest in viscose. The properties of viscose fibre resemble those of cotton and the fibre is used to create absorbent materials. The advantage of this semi-synthetic fibre is that the fibre’s profile and length can be controlled, which makes viscose easier to process than cotton.
Sporda’s viscose is purchased from Austria and Japan, where development is ongoing to use the least environmental- and resource-taxing processes possible.
Would you like to read more about modern viscose production methods? EcoVero [Swedish article], Daiwabo Holdings [English]
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