MIAMI, Fla./LENZING, Austria — March 26, 2019 — Lenzing Group today announced the introduction of Eco Cycle technology under its specialty nonwoven brand, VEOCEL™. Eco Cycle technology is a testament to the Veocel brand’s commitment to driving sustainability and circularity in the nonwoven industry. The technology involves the upcycling of a substantial proportion of pre-consumer cotton scraps, e.g. from garment production, and mixing with sustainably sourced wood pulp, to produce pure new virgin Veocel branded lyocell fibers for nonwoven applications.
“Since the inception of the Veocel brand, we have been pioneering the development and application of sustainable nonwoven technologies and applications. Eco Cycle technology encompasses our commitment to providing the industry with sustainable raw materials and driving circularity in the nonwoven industry ecosystem. Promoting circular economy will be a key strategy of the Lenzing Group in the long run. Eco Cycle technology will enable us to a bold new step in driving the discussion of circularity of natural botanic materials in the ecosystem,” said Jürgen Eizinger, vice president of Global Business Management Nonwovens, Lenzing AG.
Eco Cycle technology leverages Lenzing’s award-winning efficient closed-loop production process to produce virgin Veocel branded lyocell fibers with upcycled pre-consumer cotton scraps and wood pulp from sustainable sources. The process recovers more than 99 percent of the solvent and water in a closed loop and repeatedly feeds it back into the production process. This results in extremely low levels of emissions and absence of optical brighteners in the Veocel branded lyocell fiber production.
“Produced using an environmentally friendly and sustainable process, Veocel Lyocell fibers are certified clean and safe. With Eco Cycle technology, these fibers for nonwoven applications offer nonwoven roll-good manufacturers a convenient way to contribute to the circular economy without the necessity to engage in mechanical recycling which possibly produce harmful byproducts and emissions. This holistic approach enables us to set new benchmarks in circularity,” Eizinger added.
Veocel branded lyocell fibers have been certified Biobased® by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Blending Veocel branded Lyocell fibers with other fibers adds a greater degree of smoothness and absorbency to nonwoven fabrics, and will significantly improve the liquid absorbency in wet wipes, offering a more convenient way to clean surfaces.
Editor’s Note: Lenzing’s lyocell fiber production does not involve any optical brighteners. The cotton scraps used during the closed-loop production process enabled by Eco Cycle technology are in dark colors where optical brighteners are not needed. Hence, optical brighteners do not exist in the white-color lyocell fibers produced using cotton scraps and wood pulp from sustainable sources.
Posted April 18, 2019
Source: The Lenzing Group