Lenzing, the makers of Tencel, have developed a new fiber based on cotton scraps and wood. Refibra is the first cellulose fiber featuring recycled material on a commercial scale, said the company. The fiber, dubbed Refibra, is produced in the Tencel production process.
“For Lenzing, developing circular business models in the fashion industry ensures the decoupling of business growth from pressure on ecological resource consumption. It reduces the need to extract additional virgin resources from nature, and reduces the net impact on ecological resources,” explain Stefan Doboczky, CEO of Lenzing Group, and Robert van de Kerkhof, CCO.
“Because Refibra is based on the Tencel fiber, which has been internationally recognized for its environmentally responsible closed loop production process, Refibra offers a deep sustainability profile that clearly contributes to circular economy,” van de Kerkhof explains.
To assure customers that the fiber, made from recycled material, is really in the textiles, Lenzing has developed a new identification system. The system makes it possible to identify the Refibra fiber in the finished textile. This guarantees transparency in the overall processing chain. The Refibra fiber itself is part of the global Lenzing Branding Service and the brand is licensed once the textile has undergone a certification process.
“Close cooperation with leading companies who attach particular importance to sustainability is a pre- requisite for a successful market launch,” van de Kerkhof comments. “These pioneering companies offer the possibility of jointly developing concepts that contribute to a more sustainable fashion industry and promote the circular economy in this sector as well.”
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