PERTH – Australian-based biotechnology company Nanollose Ltd, says it has created the first knitted sweater made with its ‘Nullarbor’ branded fibre, which is said to be an environmentally preferential alternative to viscose.
Earlier this year, Nanollose showed its first circular knitted fabrics made from its fibre at Planet Textiles in Vancouver. These circular knits were made from microbial cellulose derived from coconut waste.
More recently, the company has successfully tested the yarns on v-bed knitting machines to produce 3D shaped knitwear. Yarn tensions and knitting 3D shapes on flat knitting machines provide significantly different challenges to yarns used to make single-jersey fabrics.
This claimed breakthrough marks the first time its rayon fibre has been used to make a piece of clothing, and it could offer an alternative to traditional rayon fibres by sourcing cellulosic raw materials without going through the associated wood pulp process.
