Paradise Textiles, the material science hub of Taiwan’s Alpine Creations, has signed a joint venture deal with leading biotechnology company Nanollose for the exclusive supply of its sustainable Nullarbor fibres. Nanollose, based in Nedlands, Australia, has developed a process that creates microbial cellulose from industrial organic and agricultural waste which is then transformed into rayon fibres with minimal environmental impact. The process doesn’t involve the felling of trees or require the use of arable land or its associated use of irrigation, pesticides and other resource intensive inputs and the Nanollose technology for creating Nullabor fibres is compatible with existing industry processing and manufacturing equipment.
Taipei-headquartered Alpine Creations, founded in 1981, operates six fully-owned garment manufacturing operations in Egypt, Jordan and Vietnam with a current total of 3,400 sewing machines and an annual capacity of some 39 million pieces. In supplying to major apparel brands, it also operates product development bases throughout Asia.
Under the joint venture agreement, Paradise will work closely with Nanollose to develop yarns and fabrics from Nullarbor fibres and supply samples to bolster customer engagement.
“We are proud to announce the successful pilot production of next-generation fabrics utilising Nullarbor pulp,” said Alpine Group co-chairman Ashok Mahtani. “This underlines our ongoing commitment to innovation in fabric development and collaborative partnerships. Nullarbor fibre’s unique properties and production process will enable us to offer our customer’s high-performance, sustainable textile solutions.”
“I’m delighted to see this collaboration begin to formalise in a way that establishes a framework for both companies to achieve a commercial outcome,” added Nanollose executive chairman Wayne Best. “The relationship has been growing organically for some time and we’ve been delighted with the enthusiasm Paradise Textiles has shown for our technology and fibres. The group’s expertise, commitment to sustainability and innovation and customer base is a natural fit for our technology.”