Scientific Study Backs Up TENCEL™’s Biodegradability
What happens to our clothing after it is no longer usable? A lot depends on what it’s made of.
Fossil based polymers become a prime fabric choice, particularly for fast fashion. They currently represent 62 percent of all textile fibers. But the care and disposal of these fibers leaves a lasting impact on the planet. In washing machines, microfibers from fossil based polymers are leeched off clothing, which can eventually migrate into bodies of water. When synthetic garments are discarded to landfills—as 73 percent of clothing is today, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation—it can take hundreds of years to decompose.
TENCEL™ Lyocell is made of wood from certified forests. This botanical origin has an impact on the environmental footprint of production, but it also has implications for the fibers’ end of life. TENCEL™ fibers are 100 percent biodegradable in salt water, fresh water and soil.
Biodegradation is the physical break down of materials by microorganisms such as bacteria or fungi. Through this process, the matter becomes elements like water and carbon.
University of California’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography performed a seven-month-long independent study on nonwoven and textile biodegradability, and found that the lyocell fibers disintegrate in marine settings. The research team replicated oceanic conditions in a controlled environment and studied the responses of synthetics and TENCEL™ lyocell over time. The lyocell fully biodegraded in 30 days, in contrast to the polyester fibers that developed a biofilm but remained largely the same for about 200 days.
Scripps’ results were corroborated via lab studies by Organic Waste Systems (OWS).
Lyocell’s superior biodegradability is partly attributed to its surface structure, according to researchers. Polymers repel water, while cellulosic fibers are absorbent.
“The recent and substantial increase in synthetic fiber production over the past few decades has led to an influx of synthetic microfibers into the marine environment due to the washing and wearing of synthetic textiles,” wrote the researchers. “Because these synthetic textiles and microfibers are showing very limited degradation in the environment, they are most likely accumulating over time, and negatively affecting exposed marine organisms and their contribution to the ecosystem services.”
This latest research adds to the proof that Lenzing’s wood-based fibers are fully biodegradable. Earlier, certification body TÜV Austria found that TENCEL™ lyocell biodegrades the fastest in fresh water (42 days). In soil, biodegradation takes around 55 days, while salt water breaks down the fibers in 63 days.
“The textile and nonwoven industries have to change. Our goal is to raise widespread awareness of major challenges such as plastic pollution and persuade the industry to make the transition to wood-based, biodegradable TENCEL™, LENZING™, ECOVERO™ and VEOCEL™ fibers”, said Robert van de Kerkhof, member of the managing board at Lenzing Group.
To learn more about the research, view the study report here.