Lenzing Group hit a new milestone with its Refibra technology, according to the company, with a 30% increase in recycled raw materials. This means the Tencel-branded Lyocell fibres can feature up to 30% of pulp made from upcycled cotton scraps collected from garment manufacturing processes. 

Lenzing launched the Refibra brand in February 2017. It is based on the group’s Tencel fibre, with the addition of cotton scraps and wood. The fibres, part of the Tencel Lyocell fibres of low fibrillation properties, have enhanced breathability and are especially well suited to knitted applications. 

Refibra fibres are produced using Lenzing’s well established Tencel production process. The technology can be found in the likes of outdoor apparel company Patagonia, who offer a collection of products made from Refibra’s lyocell fibres.

Advances like these are important, according to Lenzing, as climate change and an increasingly conscientious customer base pays more attention to the supply chain. 

“There is definitely an ongoing shift in consumer demand,” said Birgit Schnetzlinger, Lenzing’s business manager for footwear. “The new consumers think more critically. They want to know where the product is coming from and they ask for transparency. Ethical consumerism is just at its beginning.”