Austria's Lenzing celebrates 2 anniversaries at Heiligenkreuz site

Stephan Sielaff, CEO of the Lenzing Group, and Bernd Zauner, managing director of Lenzing Fibers Heiligenkreuz, welcomed staff and numerous guests of honour including Hans Peter Doskozil, governor of Burgenland, Georg Rosner, member and 2^nd president of the Burgenland state parliament, and Manfred Gerger, chairman of the Burgenland branch of the Federation of Austrian Industries.

“We are very proud of the milestones we have achieved. The Heiligenkreuz site has become a highly important part of the Lenzing Group and plays a crucial role in the implementation of our specialty fibre strategy. We would like to give special thanks to our staff for their commitment and tireless input. Together, we will continue to lead the transition from a linear to a circular economy model in the global textile and nonwoven industries in the future,” said Stephan Sielaff, CEO of Lenzing AG.

“Since we began producing environmentally-friendly lyocell fibers at this site 25 years ago, we have expanded the facility to make it one of the largest industrial employers in southern Burgenland. This anniversary and the production of one million tons of lyocell fibres are major milestones in our success story and represent a huge boost to growth and innovation in southern Burgenland,” said Bernd Zauner, managing director of Lenzing Fibers Heiligenkreuz.

Pollution of the environment – especially our oceans – is one of the biggest problems. The fashion industry has an extremely negative impact on the environment due to its fast fashion business model and the growing consumption of fossil resources in textile production. The lyocell process is the most modern method of producing fibres from wood. It has been successfully used on an industrial scale for around 30 years and is particularly kind to the environment. The underlying idea is to dissolve and process the pulp in a closed loop without any chemical derivatisation, the company said in a press release.

Lenzing first discovered the lyocell technology in 1990 and has continuously developed the process since then. After years of preparatory research and the construction of a pilot facility, the first lyocell production plant to operate on an industrial scale was launched at the new site in Heiligenkreuz in 1997.

Nowadays, as well as producing specialty fibres, the site at Heiligenkreuz has evolved to become a central hub for the development of new and sustainable innovations. One of Lenzing’s revolutionary processes is the REFIBRA recycling technology, which has been a focus of further development at the facility in the Burgenland region. The lyocell plant in Heiligenkreuz also supports the Lenzing Group’s ambitious climate targets. In 2019, the Lenzing Group became the first company in its sector to set the strategic goal of halving its greenhouse gas emissions per ton of product by 2030. By 2050, the group aims to achieve a carbon-neutral future, a target that has been scientifically recognized by the Science Based Targets Initiative.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RR)