What Kuura does

Kuura® is a wood-based textile fibre brand developed by Metsä Spring Ltd, the innovation subsidiary of Finnish forest industry cooperative Metsä Group. The core product is a cellulose staple fibre produced from paper-grade pine and spruce pulp sourced from certified Finnish family-owned forests within roughly 100 km of Metsä Group's Äänekoski bioproduct mill. The underlying technology is a novel direct dissolution process that converts paper-grade pulp into textile fibre without fossil fuels, developed since 2009 in collaboration with Aalto University, VTT, and other research partners and protected as the registered Kuura® trademark.

The company operates a semi-industrial demo plant in Äänekoski, Finland, with a nominal capacity of approximately one tonne of fibre per day (around 500 tonnes/year) and a team of roughly 20 engineers, chemists, and technical staff, housed in wholly-owned subsidiary MI Demo Oy. Kuura currently generates no commercial revenue; the demo output is used for market testing, customer sampling, and process development. Distribution and global market development are handled exclusively by ITOCHU Corporation under a joint venture with Metsä Spring, leveraging ITOCHU's textile industry network of approximately 100 offices across 60+ countries.

The business model is built on eventual commercial sales of Kuura® fibre to sustainable fashion brands, technical textile manufacturers, automotive interior suppliers, and workwear companies, with pilot collaborations already established with THE RERACS (fashion), Lindström Oy (workwear), and Intap (automotive). A longer-term revenue stream could come from licensing the direct dissolution technology to other pulp mills integrated with bioproduct facilities. Metsä Group is currently in pre-engineering (running until summer 2026) for a first commercial Kuura mill targeting 100,000 tonnes/year of capacity, ~250 employees, and an investment decision no earlier than the end of 2026, with startup no earlier than 2029. Kuura has earned four consecutive Green Shirt ratings (2021–2024) from Canopy's Hot Button Ranking and holds CARTIF and CanopyStyle sustainability certifications, positioning the brand as a low-carbon, fully traceable alternative to viscose, cotton, and lyocell.

Name

Kuura

Legal name

Metsä Spring Ltd

Website

https://kuura.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Kuura® is a wood-based textile fibre brand developed by Metsä Spring (Metsä Group), converting Finnish pine and spruce pulp into sustainable cellulose fibres for fashion, workwear, and technical textile customers. Currently in pre-revenue demo phase with a commercial mill in pre-engineering.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cellulosic Textile Fibres

NAICS

Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing (32522), Fiber, Yarn, and Thread Mills (31311)

SIC

Textile Mill Products (2200)

akta.pro primary industry

Textured & Specialty Yarn Manufacturing (Textured/Chenille/Bouclé) (IMAOAAAF)

Keywords

• Wood-based textile fibres
• Cellulosic fibre production
• Sustainable textile materials
• Pulp-to-fibre technology
• Fossil-free textile fibres

Headquarters

HQ city

Espoo

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Textile Fibre Sales: Kuura textile fibre will be sold to textile and non-woven industries for use in clothing, technical textiles, and other applications. Currently in pre-revenue demo phase with market testing underway through ITOCHU.
2. Technology Licensing Potential: Future potential for licensing the production technology to other pulp mills integrated with bioproduct facilities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kuura® is a wood-based textile staple fibre made from pine and spruce pulp sourced from certified Finnish family-owned forests. It is produced via a novel, proprietary direct dissolution process that converts paper-grade pulp into textile fibre without fossil fuels, integrated with Metsä Group's fossil-free bioproduct mill in Äänekoski, Finland. The fibre is supplied to fashion brands, workwear companies, and technical-textile manufacturers (including non-wovens and automotive interiors), with global distribution handled by ITOCHU Corporation.

Product overview

Kuura is a wood-based textile fibre product developed by Metsä Group's innovation company Metsä Spring. The core offering is the Kuura® textile fibre, a sustainable alternative to conventional textile materials made from pine and spruce from certified Finnish forests. Production is currently demonstrated at a semi-industrial demo plant in Äänekoski, Finland, with nominal capacity of approximately one tonne per day. Metsä Spring is advancing pre-engineering for a first commercial-scale mill (planned 100,000 tonnes/year capacity), which would be integrated with Metsä Group's fossil-free bioproduct mill. The Kuura fibre is fully traceable, biodegradable, and recyclable, positioning it as a sustainable choice for the textile and non-woven industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kuura® textile fibre A wood-based textile staple fibre made from pine and spruce pulp sourced from certified Finnish family-owned forests. Produced using a novel direct dissolution process that converts paper-grade pulp into textile fibre without fossil fuels, integrated with Metsä Group's fossil-free bioproduct mill in Äänekoski, Finland. The fibre is fully traceable to its forest origin, biodegradable, recyclable, and targeted at textile and non-woven industry customers (fashion brands, workwear companies, technical-textile and automotive-interior manufacturers) seeking a low-climate-impact alternative to viscose, cotton, and lyocell.

Quantifiable outcome

• Climate impact (GWP) less than one-third of viscose, one-fourth of cotton, and over 80% lower than lyocell
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• FimpecmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 23 June 2025Finnish consulting, design, and project management company providing construction consulting services during pre-engineering phase of commercial Kuura mill. Previously involved in Äänekoski and Kemi bioproduct mill projects.
• THE RERACSminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2021Japanese fashion brand collaborating with ITOCHU and Metsä Spring to develop garments from Kuura textile fibre, including limited edition bore coat for Japanese market launch at Japan Fashion Week.
• ITOCHU CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2018Japanese trading house Itochu is a key strategic partner in the Kuura project, co-owning the demo plant through a joint venture with Metsä Spring. Itochu leads market testing, customer engagement, and global distribution of Kuura fibre, leveraging over 100 years of textile industry experience and approximately 100 offices worldwide in more than 60 countries.
• SwecomajorTechnology or Integration · 1 October 2018Engineering and consulting company serving as general engineering partner for demo plant construction (2018-2020) and now selected for pre-engineering of commercial Kuura mill. Sweco has been partner in multiple Metsä Group mill projects.
• IntapminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolish vehicle seat manufacturer collaborated with Metsä Group to produce bio-based automotive seat upholstery using Kuura fibres mixed with recycled polyester as part of BIOMOTIVE project demonstrators.
• AndritzmajorTechnology or IntegrationIndustrial equipment supplier involved in pre-study for commercial Kuura mill, contributing to development of pulp pre-treatment method, integration with bioproduct mill, and production automation. Previously supplied equipment for Äänekoski bioproduct mill and Kuura demo plant.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kuura