The textile industry is faced with many challenges that threaten the environment’s biodiversity and ecosystem. The increase in population all over the world leads to an overproduction of clothes to meet ‘fast-fashion’ trends. This also leads to a rapid decrease in the finite natural resources that are being used in huge quantities for several purposes on a global scale. The trends in fast fashion lead to an overproduction of clothes which in turn increases waste generation of textiles. Disposed textiles and clothes are either dumped in landfills or burned which brings about a lot of environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
As the world realized the need for quick actions and changes to be made indefinitely, various sustainability initiatives, environmentally conscious mindsets, and eco-friendly practices have been adopted and integrated into almost every organization as principles and values of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG). Likewise, many companies, startup businesses, and drivers of change – entrepreneurs, are acknowledging and educating themselves and others in the awareness of sustainability and its actions in cleaner tech and innovation, to help facilitate a green Earth and future.
Therefore in this article, we will explore the story and journey of one such company that aspires to be the Drivers of Change – Infinite Fiber. Founder and CEO – Petri Alava is redefining the Textile Industry with Infinited Fiber’s patented premium textile fiber – Infinna, which aims to reduce the dependency on the world’s natural resources and to innovatively and sustainably recycle and reuse old and used textiles and clothes.
About Petri Alava – Co-Founder and CEO at Infinited Fiber:
The Founder and Chief Executive Officer who started and established Infinited Fiber is Petri Alava. Initially, the company had two founders – Petri Alava and Ali Harlin, who together founded Infinited Fiber. Ali stepped down as a Board Member along with a few others and were all replaced with other Board Members. Having started the company in the year 2016, Petri Alava wanted to be a driver for change by making the – “textile circularity an everyday reality”. This was Infinited Fiber’s Mission Statement to date which has urged them to continue their ventures and works in driving environmentally sustainable efforts.
Having a Master of Science Degree in Industrial Engineering from LUT (Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology) University, and also attended an International Business Executive Program (IBU) at Fintra. Petri has over 15 years of experience working in various Board Positions in different companies. From being an Export Manager to Acting CEO at Finncot Oy – a subsidiary firm of GWS Group, from Business Area Director to Environment Business Area Director and Organizational Development at Vapo Organization, and from Chairman of the Board at Terassi Media Organization to finally being the Co-founder and CEO of Infinited Fiber.
Petri Alava has the experience, skills, talent, strategic and development vision, and managerial and board positions that have given him the required knowledge and awareness to start his own company with Infinited Fiber.
About Infinited Fiber:
Infinited Fiber – co-founded by Ali Harlin and Petri Alava, is now only led by the latter founder. The company was founded in the year 2016 and has its headquarters established in Espoo, Finland, in Europe. The inspiration behind the conception of the company was to address one of the biggest challenges posed by the textile industry in the world – increased waste disposal of overproduced textiles and clothes and the decrease of natural resources that are used by textile industries globally.
Mission Statement – “to make the textile circularity an everyday reality”.
Together with a team and workforce consisting of chemists, disruptors, engineers, and innovators, Infinited Fiber is using technology that transforms and recycles waste and disposed textiles and clothes into a premium textile fiber material called Infinna, which helps hugely in reducing pollution to the environment and in reducing the use of natural resources in such abundant quantities.
The recycled and reborn fiber material has almost similar properties as cotton and hence is durable, breathable, lighter, and serves its purpose, in sustainable ways. The circular economy strategy and approach that is adopted by Infinited Fiber is encouraging and inspiring everyone to follow a sustainable innovation in fashion and apparel. Born from waste and fully circular, an alternative to Virgin Cotton, the uses only natural ingredients, is completely biodegradable, has zero presence of microplastics, is soft and light to the touch, conserves water usage and wastes produced, Infinited Fiber alongside Finnish technological innovations has proven to be sustainable and a truly environmentally conscious enterprise.
Infinited Fiber – being recognized for their great initiatives in being drivers of change, work with some of the most reputed and famous brands across the globe such as – Adidas, Calvin Klein, Wrangler, Zara, H&M Group, Patagonia, Tommy Hilfiger, Kipas Textiles, Suominen, and many more. The company is also set and geared up to build and open a commercial-scale Infinna Factory in 2026, in Kemi, Finland at an old Paper Mill site.