REFIBRA™ Retrospective: Industry Soundbites
Since it came on the market in 2017, Lenzing’s TENCEL™ x REFIBRA™ Lyocell has been adopted by numerous mills, designers and brands.
TENCEL™ x REFIBRA™ uses cotton textile waste and wood pulp as the feedstock for cellulosic fibers, creating a circular solution. Since the recycling process is chemical rather than mechanical, the resulting REFIBRA™ Technology fibers have the same performance characteristics as TENCEL ™ Lyocell with virgin inputs.
The Carved in Blue team enjoys hearing how the industry is using our fibers, and how innovations such as REFIBRA™ Technology play into companies’ sustainability actions. Below, we’re looking back on some of what the industry has said about REFIBRA™ over the years.
2020
“REFIBRA™ Technology is a revolutionary textile solution made from cotton waste fabrics. It combines the best of two worlds to create one of the most ecological wood-based fabrics on the planet. The recycling of cotton waste fabrics into virgin textile TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers offers a practical solution to enable the circular economy in the apparel industry,” said Jasim Uddin, project director at NZ Denim (read more).
“At Freedom Denim, it’s a constant effort to work towards addressing SDG goals within the organization. We install it as an ideology in totality within our behavior. It starts with raw materials and the practice of how we are consuming. TENCEL™ x REFIBRA™ plays a huge roll in those efforts,” said Jason Gao, general manager marketing and merchandising at Freedom Denim (read more).
“We can easily change the already sustainable TENCEL™ into TENCEL™ x REFIBRA™. Sadly, now still very few brands are interested in this technology, so it’s still by order made production at the moment. But we hope someday, every TENCEL™ will have a portion of recycled cotton inside,” said Mai Tseng, manager of sales and development at Mozartex (read more).
2019
“REFIBRA™ is a valuable ingredient for many aspects; it enhances the fabric on an aesthetic level, adding a fresh and natural shine to it. This is why many brands favor the raw look of this denim to the washed version,” said Candiani Denim (read more).
“We constantly work to minimize the environmental impact of our operations using natural resources in the most efficient way possible, through constant R&D in eco-friendly technologies and developing sustainable products using sustainable materials. In this context, REFIBRA™ supports all our sustainability goals. It also gives us the opportunity to offer sustainable AND premium denim, enhancing softness, hand feel, aesthetic and performance,” said Naveena Denim Mills (read more).
“REFIBRA™ tells a great story. Spun additionally with cotton, we are able to create a true vintage product that is made from 100 percent recycled fibers, both of which later are biodegradable as well. REFIBRA™ provides strength to denim, which recycled cotton is unable to do,” said Atlantic Mills (read more).
“We feel that REFIBRA™ suits today’s ecological needs because it involves important resources – wood and cotton. Our customers are loving the fact that the process reduces use of water by 95 percent compared to cotton fabric and that manufacturing does not pollute the air, soil, or water,” said ADM Denim (read more).
“REFIBRA™ presents next-gen denim developments with responsible alternatives and luxurious hand-feel converge. The denim market is after innovation where sustainability remains the focus, and REFIBRA™ gives us the possibility to deliver innovative design using conscious raw material content. The consumers are on the lookout for sustainable products that they can trust and still find attractive aesthetically, and REFIBRA™ enables us to realize design and engineering for that purpose,” said Soorty (read more).
2018
“I personally think TENCEL™ x REFIBRA™ fibers proved the key technology to close the loop in the lifecycle of worn out jeans and other non-synthetic garments. By doing so, textile companies will be able to save money in the long run,” said designer, Pawan Kumar (read more).
“TENCEL™ fibers by now is a brand name that consumers in stores have started to recognize. This adds immediately recognizable value to the products we develop. Lenzing’s closed-loop production method for TENCEL™ aligns closely with our company’s values. Using Refibra™ Technology certainly adds another dimension to our sustainable fibers offerings,” said Henry Wong of AGI Denim [formerly Artistic Fabric & Garment Industries] (read more).
“REFIBRA™ is an incredible fiber. Not only because of its silky hand, but mostly because REFIBRA™ is helping the textile industry become a circular economy. It’s one of the most innovative fibers in the industry now, and it is leading the movement towards a brighter blue,” said Blue Diamond (read more).
“We like the REFIBRA™ concept because it fits our quest for less waste and better utilization of resources in textiles; it offers all the benefits of traditional TENCEL™ with the added bonus of its recycled component. Ideally, more and more fabrics will be made reusing resources that are currently being needlessly wasted,” said Arvind Limited (read more).
2017
“TENCEL™ fibers have been an important part of my work and the innovation that I bring into design. Now TENCEL™ fibers are evolving to take a new level of sustainability with REFIBRA™ fibers. We need to open the minds of designers with sustainable innovations,” said Adriano Goldschmied (read more).
This is part four of Carved in Blue’s REFIBRA™ Retrospective series. Check out part three here to see a slideshow of designs featuring REFIBRA™.