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Historic Milestones
2017 First commercial lyocell fiber giving a second life to cotton
With the launch of Lenzing’s REFIBRA™ technology in 2017, Lenzing achieved an unprecedented milestone for circular economy in textiles by developing a new fiber based on cotton scraps and wood.
Commercial scale |
Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) |
TENCEL™ fiber produced with REFIBRA™ technology was the first lyocell fiber featuring recycled material from post-industrial sources on a commercial scale. |
The fiber is available with Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) certifying that all production processes in the entire supply chain have undergone relevant steps to ensure the integrity of the final product. |
Combining the best of two worlds |
20% cotton pulp / 80%wood pulp |
The technology combines the best of two worlds to create one of the most ecological wood-based fibers on the planet: the lyocell technology which is widely acknowledged to be the most eco-friendly wood-based cellulosic fiber, and the recycling of cotton scraps from garment production. |
Initially 20 percent of pulp produced from cotton scraps was blended with wood pulp. |
2019 Progress
• The share of pulp produced from cotton scraps was increased to 30 percent.
• Numerous international brands use TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers produced with REFIBRA™ technology.
• Vast progress has been made in R&D for using post-consumer waste as raw material.
• Lenzing has filed a patent on the recycling of lyocell for use as a raw material for lyocell production.