Lenzing’s net-benefit products offer positive impacts and benefits to the environment, society and value chain partners to a greater extent than most competing alternatives in the market. Net-benefit products take a life cycle perspective and therefore include both upstream and downstream value chain processes. Customers can replace resource-intensive products with Lenzing’s alternatives, thereby improving their product footprint and reducing supply chain risks.
The three strategic principles of the “Naturally Positive” sustainability strategy and the underlying focus areas are combined in the net-benefit concept.
Products and technologies with a net-benefit
LENZING™ ECOVERO™ viscose fibers and VEOCEL™ viscose fiber
LENZING™ ECOVERO™ branded viscose (for textiles) and VEOCEL™ viscose fiber (for nonwovens) show a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and water impact compared to generic viscose (according to Higg-MSI1).
TENCEL™ Modal with Eco Color technology and TENCEL™ Modal with Indigo Color technology
Fibers with these technologies incorporate pigments during fiber production and therefore help avoid downstream and energy-intensive conventional dyeing processes. A fabric made from these fibers causes 60 percent lower greenhouse gas emissions than conventionally dyed fabrics2.
First launched in 2021, TENCEL™ Modal with Eco Color technology has been established as the solution to address the demand for eco-responsible fiber alternatives among denim brands and retailers. In 2022, TENCEL™ Modal fiber with Indigo Color technology won the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) Award for Sustainability and Innovation.
Enhancing mechanical textile recycling
Besides having a strong focus on chemical recycling, Lenzing together with partners is also active in mechanical recycling. In this process, textiles are broken down to the individual fibers as far as possible. However, the fiber quality usually suffers, the fibers are severely shortened and also lose performance, e.g. strength, depending on the waste stream (pre-consumer, post-consumer, post-industrial). These are reasons why, according to the current state of the art, mechanically recycled fibers require carrier fibers to become spinnable.
In one project, mechanically recycled cotton from post-consumer denim products was blended, spun and knitted with LENZING™ Modal Indigo, a spun-dyed LENZING™ Modal fiber. Several benefits were found, like no perceptible yellowing of the indigo dyed cotton or very good abrasion resistance, an indication of durability.
Lenzing fibers with recycled content – REFIBRA™
In line with Lenzing’s circular economy vision, “We give waste a new life. Every day”, the current generation of innovative fibers that are manufactured on a large commercial scale use pre-consumer cotton scraps, post-consumer garments and wood from sustainably managed forests as a raw material. The cotton material is recycled into pulp, which is blended with dissolving wood pulp at a ratio of a minimum of 30:70 percent to produce high-quality lyocell fibers for textile and nonwovens applications. This technology diverts tons of cotton scraps and post-consumer garments from entering landfills or incineration. The fibers are subsequently produced with high levels of resource efficiency in a closed-loop production process.
TENCEL™ Luxe filaments
The TENCEL™ Luxe branded lyocell filament aims to become a key milestone for eco-couture fabrics in the premium and luxury markets. The closed-loop lyocell production process ensures a low environmental impact compared to the viscose and modal processes. This is due to low process water and energy use and raw materials consumption, and state of the art recovery systems. TENCEL™ Luxe branded filaments produced with the Eco Filament technology avoid conventional yarn spinning, which is energy-intensive and predominantly based in regions that rely heavily on fossil-based electricity. For example, at the industry level, yarn spinning processes contribute to about 30 percent of total GHG emissions of the textile value chain (excluding use phase).
LENZING™ Web Technology
The LENZING™ Web Technology is an innovative R&D development technology platform that allows a wide range of novel sustainable nonwoven materials to be produced from the raw material wood. The patented nonwoven web formation process – Lenzing holds more than 25 patent applications – starts by dissolving wood pulp and subsequently produces a directly formed cellulosic nonwoven fabric made of 100 percent continuous lyocell filament. This technology enables one-step fiber and nonwoven production and sets new standards for the efficiency, circularity and ecological sustainability of cellulose nonwoven fabrics. The flexibility of this technology and possible integration with other nonwoven technologies will enable the development of a wider range of new cellulosic materials and composite structures for highly engineered end use applications.
Pulp
Dissolving wood pulp is the raw material for Lenzing’s fibers and is predominantly produced in the company’s own biorefineries3. Lenzing’s biorefinery processes ensure that 100 percent of the wood is used to produce dissolving wood pulp for fiber production, biorefinery products and bioenergy. All the pulp produced at Lenzing pulp production sites is totally chlorine free. For more information, please see the “Raw material security” chapter.
Lyocell
Lyocell fibers from Lenzing are derived from the renewable raw material wood and produced in a closed-loop process, which transforms wood pulp into cellulosic fibers with high resource efficiency and low ecological impact. This solvent-spinning process recycles process water and reuses the solvent at a recovery rate of more than 99.8 percent. Lenzing’s lyocell fibers show around 50 percent lower greenhouse gas emissions than generic lyocell (according to Higg-MSI4).
ISPO Award Winner 2023
The Merino 200 Realfleece™ Descender LS Zip Hoodie from icebreaker is an ultra-light hoodie made from 40 percent fine Merino wool and 60 percent TENCEL™ Lyocell. At 156 g/m2 (wool micron 18.9), it is extremely light and, despite the hood, long sleeves and zipper, no heavier than a short-sleeved T-shirt. The brushed, airy striped construction provides warmth and protection, while air channels allow the knit to release excess heat and moisture. This construction, along with the blend of TENCEL™ Lyocell cellulosic fiber, makes the hoodie highly breathable.
“This thin, lightweight material is fascinating and feels extremely good against the skin. The special knitted construction retains heat without weighing you down. So it fits under any jacket without getting in the way.” ISPO Award JuryModal
At the Lenzing (Austria) site, modal fibers are produced using an integrated production process in which the raw material pulp is manufactured at the same site as the fiber itself. Pulp production is energetically self-sufficient while supplying a significant amount of bioenergy for the entire fiber production process at the production site. Lenzing’s modal fibers therefore cause around 80 percent less GHG emissions in production than generic modal fibers (according to Higg-MSI5).
LENZING™ Acetic Acid Biobased
Lenzing’s biorefinery technology converts wood into pulp, energy, and biobased biorefinery products. One of the biobased biorefinery products is LENZING™ Acetic Acid Biobased, which is also available as low-carbon alternative to conventional fossil-based acetic acid, substantiated by a study conducted by an independent LCA consultant.
1 Based on Higg MSI database v3.5 (Dec 2022)
2 Terinte, N., Manda, B.M.K., Taylor, J., Schuster, K.C. and Patel, M. (2014). Environmental assessment of coloured fabrics and opportunities for value creation: spin-dyeing versus conventional dyeing. In: Journal of Cleaner Production 72, pp. 127-138
3 In addition to its own dissolving wood pulp production, Lenzing procures dissolving wood pulp in the global market.
4 Based on Higg MSI database v3.5 (Dec 2022)
5 Based on Higg MSI database v3.5 (Dec 2022)