Cone Denim Advances Denim Sustainability with TENCEL™ X REFIBRA™ Lyocell Fibers
Always a leader, Cone Denim has now taken denim sustainability a step further by making the beloved fabric more sustainable.
This week, Cone Denim announced that its denim fabrics will be made with sustainable TENCEL™ x REFIBRA™ branded lyocell fibers. The move means Cone Denim is the first fabric producer in North America to use these fibers for denim.
With TENCEL™ x REFIBRA™ Lyocell being the only commercially available fibers made from recycled cotton and wood pulp, the inclusion of these inputs means Cone Denim gets to improve denim’s sustainability without losing any of its appeal.
“Denim consumers want authentic yet innovative products that maximize comfort, style, and performance,” says Kara Nicholas, Vice President Product Design + Marketing for Cone Denim. “They also want to know that their favorite jeans are responsibly made and remain sustainable at the end of their lifecycle when finally discarded. Our Cone® 3D R&D team continues to explore and push the boundaries in developing the next evolution of sustainable denims.”
The aim, for Cone Denim, is to tap into its experience in science and innovation to curb denim’s adverse impact throughout its entire lifecycle, from production through to end of life. This has become key, particularly at a time when global populations are growing and denim consumption is increasing with it. And with TENCEL™ x REFIBRA™ Lyocell being biodegradable in soil and seawater, with the ability to convert back to the elements that created them, their inclusion in denim helps facilitate this aim of minimizing the fabric’s impact. What’s more, the fabrics will have a traceable fiber ID, so that brands and retailers will be able to verify that their products contain genuine TENCEL™ x REFIBRA™ fibers for complete transparency.
Cone Denim’s new fabrics will be made in its North America mills, and Cone Denim will feature its new denim collection at Kingpins New York June 6-7.
“The new fabrics from Cone clearly demonstrate that sustainability and denim are beautifully compatible concepts,” said Tricia Carey, director of global business development for denim at Lenzing. “When responsible denim manufacturers, like Cone Denim, create more environmentally considerate products that still address consumer demands, the entire apparel industry moves closer to a circular economy that benefits us all.”