In EU-Backed Initiative, Lenzing Sends ‘Strong Signal’ on Sustainably Remodeling Supply Chains
Changing the value chain is a collaborative process. With this in mind, a new project from Austrian nonprofit RTDS Group is bringing together Lenzing as well as 13 other industry parties to develop and scale the use of lyocell filament yarns as an alternative to synthetics, allowing for more recyclable textiles.
The four-year project is co-funded by the European Union, which has provided 6.9 million euros of financial support through an EU Horizon Europe grant. Dubbed CELLFIL, which stands for CELLulose Lyocell FILaments as a Scalable Solution for Circular Textile Production, the initiative includes partners from academia, machinery suppliers, fabric producers, Orange Fiber, sustainable consultancy Quantis and brands Adidas and Filati Poland.
“We are proud to be working with key industry and academic partners to advance bio-based lyocell filaments and promote a more sustainable and circular textile industry through this innovation project,” said Stephen Webb, project coordinator and CEO of the RTDS Group.
Lenzing is acting as the technical lead on the initiative, and the project kicked off with a meeting hosted at our Austrian headquarters. We were an early producer of lyocell filament, and we introduced it to the market in 2017. However, adoption and value chain development for this lyocell product are still in early phases. “We are still in the industrial startup phase for lyocell filaments,” said Markus Pichler, head of lyocell filament development at the Lenzing Group. “Many aspects, such as the availability of lyocell filaments in the supply chain and technological adjustments for the processing of cellulose yarns, need to be addressed in order to change the capacities of the textile industry, which is currently more suited to polyester filaments.”
Through this initiative, the partners intend to optimize lyocell filament production and feedstocks with applications in mind. At the fabric and garment stages, the emphasis will be on refining machine settings and developing and showing applications for the raw material, including performance wear and technical textiles. The project also aims to highlight the versatility of lyocell filament, therefore growing acceptance and use in the market.
Compared to the TENCEL™ Lyocell staple fibers that are often used for denim, TENCEL™ Lyocell filament is silkier and smoother. This makes them a good fit for garments like dress shirts. Although not as commonly used for denim, Advance Denim successful used TENCEL™ LUXE filament yarn in a collection to give denim a high-end look and feel.
In an interview with Carved in Blue, Advance Denim’s Michael Lam noted, “We have noticed a strong demand for sustainable fashion denim in the luxury market, and we believe that combining denim with sustainably made TENCEL™ LUXE is an excellent innovative concept to meet this demand.”
In another move to strengthen its filament business, Lenzing tapped the former executive vice president of filament Florian Heubrandner to be executive vice president of filament. In the role, which he started July 1, he will oversee the expansion of this segment of Lenzing’s offerings.
“Florian has been a driving force in steering the transformation of our business into a global raw materials brand for textiles that is trusted by our customers and the industry,” said Stephan Sielaff, CEO of Lenzing. “With his new role, we believe he will be able to bring Lenzing’s filament business to the next level.”