Meet the team
PENGUIN is a multi-disciplinary research and development project focusing on novel technologies for textiles and garment. The consortium was carefully formed to reach the ambitious project goals by incorporating all necessary expertise for effective execution of this 4-year project.
VTT
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd is the leading research and technology company in the Nordic countries. Our research and innovation services give our partners, both private and public, all over the world a competitive edge. We pave the way for the future by developing new smart technologies, profitable solutions and innovation services.
Project coordination and material innovation
VTT coordinates PENGUIN and drives the development of advanced cellulose-based fibres and insulation materials. Its work also includes smart heating and sensing solutions, recycling pathways, and support for scaling promising solutions towards real outdoor-apparel applications.
COFINDUSTRIA MODA
Confindustria Moda is one of the largest global organizations representing textile and fashion industrialists in the Western world. The Federation aims to protect and promote the interests of the sector and its members and represents the entire supply chain, at a national and international level, in relations with institutions, public administrations, economic, political, trade union and social organizations.
Communication, outreach and industry engagement
CM leads PENGUIN’s communication and outreach activities. It connects the project with textile and fashion stakeholders, promotes results through industry networks and events, and helps bring PENGUIN innovations closer to the market.
IDENER
IDENER is a private research company which investigates in the multidisciplinary field of Computational Mathematics and its practical application in the optimization of systems, including chemical and biochemical systems, logistics management and manufacturing systems, energy markets and defense.
Digital tools and safer material design
IDENER.AI develops digital models and data-driven tools to support material development and safer chemical choices. The team also analyses sensor data from smart garments and leads the project’s visual identity, website, social-media communication, and audiovisual content.
OrganoClick AB
OrganoClick AB (publ) is a Swedish cleantech company listed on Nasdaq First North that develops, produces, and markets functional materials based on environmentally friendly fiber chemistry.
Biobased functional chemistry
OrganoClick develops biobased and biodegradable treatments that improve the performance of cellulose-based fibres and fabrics. Its solutions aim to deliver properties such as water resistance while maintaining a strong focus on sustainability.
RINA Consulting
RINA provide expert solutions for engineering, testing, inspection and certification across diverse markets. RINA engage in partnering with customers in developing solutions to complex problems, while leveraging our expertise to anticipate and address any challenges along the way.
Environmental, economic and market assessment
RINA Consulting evaluates PENGUIN solutions from environmental, economic, and market perspectives. The team assesses life-cycle impacts, costs, circularity opportunities, and routes for bringing the project’s innovations to future users and customers.
MOLINA
A. MOLINA & C. s.p.a. is an Italian family-owned company, specialized in the production of filling materials (insulations) destinated to furniture, apparel and bedding industries. Its core business is feather & down processing, with a capacity of roughly 2000 tonnes/year of washed and processed materials.
Lightweight insulation solutions
Molina develops loose-fill insulation materials for outdoor garments. The company works on fibre-based filling solutions designed to provide warmth, comfort, washability, and performance in puffer jackets and related applications.
Colmar
Colmar is an Italian fashion brand that has been producing high-quality sportswear and outdoor clothing since its establishment in 1923. The company has a long history of designing and manufacturing apparel for skiing and lifestyle. The brand’s hallmark is its ability to seamlessly blend fashion-forward designs with top-tier functionality, ensuring that its clothing not only looks stylish but also performs exceptionally well. Over the years, Colmar has expanded its product range to include a wide variety of clothing items, including ski jackets, down jackets, sportswear, polo shirts, and accessories.
Outdoor-garment design and testing
Colmar brings outdoor-apparel expertise to PENGUIN. The company supports material testing and develops a puffer-jacket prototype, helping ensure that new textile solutions respond to practical garment-design and user-performance needs.
SPINNOVA
Spinnova technology transforms the way textiles are manufactured globally. Based in Finland, Spinnova has developed breakthrough patented technology for making textile fibre out of wood pulp or waste, such as leather, textile or agricultural cropping waste, without harmful dissolving chemicals. Spinnova technology creates no side streams in the fibre production process, and the SPINNOVA® fibre has minimal CO2 emissions and water use, as well as being biodegradable and recyclable. Spinnova technology uses a mechanical process that gives the fibre the look and feel of a natural cellulosic fibre such as cotton.
Cellulose-based fibre innovation
Spinnova develops and scales functional cellulose-based fibres for PENGUIN. Its work focuses on improving fibre performance, including hydrophobicity and durability, for use in insulation materials, fabrics, and outdoor garments.
Pangaia Grado Zero s.r.l.
Pangaia Grado Zero s.r.l. is an Italian SME that performs R&D activities for the scale-up of innovative and sustainable textile products and materials. Pangaia Grado Zero has developed two fiber technologies FLWRDWN™ and FLWRFILL™, both derived from wildflowers. These innovative materials offer exceptional versatility, warmth, and comfort, providing an eco-friendly alternative to traditional insulation. Also, they are developing MUSKIN, a biodegradable material handcrafted from the caps of parasitic mushrooms, offering a sustainable and zero-impact alternative to animal leather without the use of chemicals or energy-intensive production processes.
Functional fabrics and smart garments
Pangaia Grado Zero develops fabrics based on PENGUIN materials and explores the integration of heating technologies into garments. The company also contributes to the design, production, and validation of outdoor puffer-jacket prototypes.
Citeve
CITEVE is a Technological Center, a private non-profit organization, based in Vila Nova de Famalicão and with commercial branches in Brazil, Tunisia, Argentina, Pakistan, Chile and Mexico, that offers companies in the Textile and Clothing Sector, mainly SMEs (90%), a portfolio of services that includes laboratory tests, product certification, technical and technological consultancy, R&D+innovation, training, and fashion and design.
Textile development, finishing and circularity
CITEVE contributes textile expertise across fabric development, material finishing, testing, and recycling. Its work explores bio-inspired treatments that add functional performance to cellulose-based materials while supporting their end-of-life potential.
