TENCEL™ Lyocell and Modal fibers are a lower-environmental impact, high-comfort material manufactured by Lenzing.
They are made from natural, raw material wood sourced from responsibly managed forests and produced with 50% less carbon emissions and water consumption than generic lyocell and modal fibers.1
TENCEL™ Lyocell and Modal fibers are naturally soft and smooth to the touch
TENCEL™ Lyocell
TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers are soft and smooth to touch. They have high tenacity among cellulosic fibers, support a natural dry feeling through moisture control and enable a subtle sheen in fabrics. In addition to these performance benefits, TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers have a lower environmental impact and are made using a closed loop production process which recovers 99.8% of solvent.
TENCEL™ Modal
TENCEL™ Modal fibers help to retain the softness of fabrics even after repeated washing and support a natural dry feeling through effective moisture control. TENCEL™ Modal fibers are produced using resource-efficient technology with high recovery rates of chemicals.
TENCEL™ Lyocell and Modal fibers are regenerated cellulosic fibers made from responsibly sourced wood, a renewable material, in an innovative production process.13
In the first stage, wood pulp is produced in a process very similar to the one used in the paper industry. In the second stage, the pulp is dissolved, and cellulosic fibers are regenerated from the solution into the appropriate fiber shape, length and diameter for textile applications.
The wood used as raw material for all TENCEL™ Lyocell and Modal fibers is sourced from controlled or certified origins meeting FSC® or PEFC standards7 following the stringent guidelines of the Lenzing Wood and Pulp Policy.
About Nature. Future. Us.
At TENCEL™, we weave together the stories of nature and people. The invention of TENCEL™ Lyocell and Modal branded fibers was a historical breakthrough in the production of sustainable materials.1 Since 1938, leading global wood-based fiber manufacturer Lenzing has been researching and innovating from a small town in Austria. This led to the creation of modal in the early 1950s, and further innovations that saw lyocell created in the 1990s in various locations.
TENCEL™ Lyocell and Modal are regenerated cellulosic fibers. They are derived from cellulose, a natural polymer, that is the building block of wood. The wood used as raw material for all TENCEL™ Lyocell and Modal fibers is sourced from controlled or certified origins meeting FSC® or PEFC standards following the stringent guidelines of the Lenzing Wood and Pulp Policy.
Regenerated cellulosic fibers are made using a two-stage process. In the first stage, pulp is produced, in a manner very similar to the production of pulp used in paper industry. In the second stage, pulp is dissolved and cellulosic fibers are regenerated from the solution into a suitable diameter and length. Using different technologies (viscose, modal, lyocell), staple fibers or filaments are produced for use in textile applications.
Transforming cellulose pulp into fibers requires a special quality of pulp, referred to as dissolving wood pulp, which must meet different requirements than those for paper pulp. Among other features, dissolving wood pulp must have a pure cellulose content of over 90 percent, lower impurity levels, be bleached to a specific level of brightness and have a more uniform molecular weight distribution. Lenzing's biorefinery process ensures that 100 percent of wood constituents are used to produce dissolving wood pulp for fiber production, bio-based products, and bioenergy, thereby maximizing value creation from an economic and environmental perspective.
For the second stage, Lenzing uses two different processes to transform pulp cellulose into fibers.
TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers are made with an innovative closed loop production process. Wood pulp is dissolved and the solution is pumped through spinnerets to form a filament that is then washed, dried, opened and pressed into bales. Filaments are cut into staple fibers either before or after washing and drying. More than 99.8% of the solvent is recovered and fed back into the loop, resulting in close-to zero wastage.
TENCEL™ Modal fibers are produced in a modified viscose process that uses resource-efficient technology with high recovery rates of chemicals. The cellulose in the Modal is dissolved, filtered, spun and cut into staple fibers. The final fiber product is regenerated cellulose.
1 TENCEL™ Lyocell and Modal fibers are made with at least 50% less carbon emissions and water consumption compared to generic lyocell and modal. Results based on LCA standards (ISO 14040/44) and available via Higg MSI (Version 3.8)
2 TENCEL™ Lyocell and Modal fibers give fabrics a natural softness, making them feel pleasant against the skin.
3 Lenzing was awarded platinum status from EcoVadis for three consecutive years for efforts in transparency, sustainability reports, and work related to the environment, ethics, and human rights.
4 The wood used as raw material for all TENCEL™ Lyocell and Modal fibers is sourced from certified or controlled wood sources, following the stringent guidelines of the Lenzing Wood and Pulp Policy. For its highly responsible sourcing practices helping to protect ancient and endangered forests, Lenzing has been recognized as one of the best performing companies globally in Canopy’s Hot Button Report 2023.
5 LENZING™ Lyocell and Modal standard fibers are certified by TÜV AUSTRIA as biodegradable in soil, freshwater and marine environments, and compostable under home and industrial conditions.
6 EU Ecolabel for textile products (license no. AT/016/001).
7 FSC® (FSC-C041246) or PEFC (PEFC/06-33-92) certification.
8 OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100. (Certification number 74683; test institute OETI). For details refer to: www.oeko-tex.com
9 Lenzing was awarded platinum status from EcoVadis for three consecutive years for efforts in transparency, sustainability reports, and work related to the environment, ethics, and human rights.
10 Lenzing has been part of the ZDHC MMCF Task Team since 2018, part of our ongoing commitment to lowering the environmental impact of the fiber industry. Lenzing was the first cellulosic fiber producer to set concrete scientifically verified science-based targets aiming for a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
11 Compared to three conventional denim dyeing methods.
12 The climate targets of the Lenzing Group approved by SBTi are absolute reduction targets starting from the base year 2021; in contrast to the previous intensity-based climate targets with base year 2017.
13 For details, see the public Focus Paper "Responsible Production" on https://www.lenzing.com/fileadmin/content/PDF/04_Nachhaltigkeit/Broschueren/EN/focus-paper-responsible-production-EN.pdf
14 Savings consider solvent recovery.