Lenzing develops new sustainable fibre generation

08 Feb '17

3 min read

Lenzing, the world leader in marketing and manufacturing man-made cellulose fibres, has developed a new fibre generation based on cotton scraps and wood to drive circular economy in the textile world. Lenzing’s ‘Refibra’ is the first cellulose fibre featuring recycled material on a commercial scale and was launched at Premier Vision textile fair in Paris.

“For Lenzing, developing circular business models in the fashion industry ensures the decoupling of business growth from pressure on ecological resource consumption. It reduces the need to extract additional virgin resources from nature, and reduces the net impact on ecological resources,” explained Stefan Doboczky, CEO of Lenzing Group and Robert van de Kerkhof, CCO of Lenzing Group.

Refibra from cotton scraps and wood will further build Lenzing's reputation as a leader in the field of environmental fiber technology and will push new solutions in the textile industry towards circular economy by recycling production waste. “Close cooperation with leading companies who attach particular importance to sustainability is a pre-requisite for a successful market launch,” said Robert. “These pioneering companies offer the possibility of jointly developing concepts that contribute to a more sustainable fashion industry and promote the circular economy in this sector as well.”

This fibre is produced in the Tencel production process. Tencel known for its eco-friendly fibre, has now created another key milestone by creating sustainable fibre from natural resources. The new Tencel generation Refibra stands for ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle’. “The brand name Refibra and the claim 'Reborn Tencel fibre' illustrate immediately that this new kind of fibre is made of recycled materials promising reduced reliance on natural raw materials. Refibra is based on the Tencel fibre, which has been internationally recognised for its environmentally responsible closed loop production process, Refibra offers a deep sustainability profile that clearly contributes to circular economy,” added Robert.

“Tencel itself is an environmentally responsible fibre of botanic origin. With Refibra, we add to the future of manufacturing and start to reassess waste as resource. The target is to close the loop. We will not stop our innovation before we are there… Lenzing is working for a better planet,” said Robert.

Lenzing has developed a new identification system that will assure the users that the fibre is made from recycled material. The system will help to identify the Refibra fibre in the finished textile. The Refibr fibre itself is part of the global Lenzing branding service and the brand is licensed once the textile has undergone a certification process. (RR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India

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