Test of biodegradability of nonwovens

Suominen strengthens its capabilities in sustainable products by enhancing and upgrading one of its production lines in Nakkila/Finland. The investment of approximately € 6 million is made in line with the strategy of Suominen Corp. Helsinki/Finland and supports company’s vision to be the frontrunner in sustainability. The project will be completed in the 2nd half of 2023.
Suominen has also built its own compost test center in Nakkila. The test center has both industrial and home compost conditions, but the aim is to study biodegradability also wider in different environments. Suominen Green Lab aims to determine the biodegradability of nonwovens made of renewable raw materials - the first steps were to analyze disintegration in compost conditions to support product development. In-house compostability tests have already given impressive results by providing information that helps Suominen to claim its products to be truly compostable and make more powerful sustainability statements for the products.
Compost testing conditions are set as ~+58°C and ~+20° C which represent industrial composting and home composting methods, respectively.
Tests have been made during the spring and they have shown good results in both industrial and home composting environments. For example, Suominen’s 100% viscose product disintegrates fully in home and industrial compost conditions in less than 3 weeks.