VIP Lenzing Lunch Dives into TENCEL™ Lyocell – HV100 At SJ’s LA Sustainability Summit
Sourcing Journal held its second annual LA Sustainability Summit last week, bringing together multiple tiers of the fashion supply chain to discuss how to move production and product development in a lower impact direction.
Themed “A New Way of Thinking,” the event focused on innovations ranging from new denim washing techniques to fiber and fabric solutions for circularity and performance. Reflecting LA’s eco-minded culture and garment producing ecosystem, the event put a local spin on crucial sustainability topics.
During lunch, the Lenzing team held an invite-only workshop for some of the attendees. We gathered brands and mill partners to present our latest fiber innovation: TENCEL™ Lyocell – HV100. By cutting the fibers at varied lengths, we have created a wood-based fiber that acts more like cotton in areas like the dye uptake and washdown. This enables lyocell to be used more in the exterior or warp side of woven fabrics, where it can contribute the soft hand feel that TENCEL™ is known for.
Led by Tuncay Kilickan and Hayato Nishi, the interactive workshop let attendees ask questions about our fibers and see samples of HV100 up close. “HV100 shows how precise fiber engineering can unlock new performance for cellulosics,” said Tuncay. “The varied staple lengths enhance dye uptake and washdown, allowing lyocell to finally play on the warp side without compromising its signature softness or sustainability. Sharing this with partners at the summit proved how ready the industry is for smarter, lower-impact solutions.”
Denim and fiber innovation were also topics on stage.
Guess’ director of R&D and innovation Ryan Hahn kicked off the day with a talk about the work the brand is doing to produce jeans with less impact. Another denim-focused panel with Thomas Leary, global sales director and business partner at Baytech-HMS and Dustin White, co-founder and CEO of LAB Denim, covered how the companies are respectively innovating washing and dyeing. HMS creates a pumice stone alternative, while LAB Denim is using an indigo-free post-weave colorization technology to change how hues are applied to denim.
Other topics discussed on stage ranged from nearshoring and the impact that could have on sustainability to garment worker rights. Reflecting the LA location, one panel dove into California’s SB 707, which established an extended producer responsibility mandate for the state. There was also a talk on microplastics and microfiber shedding, including what the industry and consumers need to know about biodegradation.
In addition to learning from the stage, we were thrilled to see some of our partners in the room and catch up with them during breaks.
Click through the slideshow below to see photos from the day.
All photos by Kate Jones for Sourcing Journal