As the denim industry continues to expand its use of mechanically recycled cotton, Lenzing is creating solutions that help scale the reuse of production and post-consumer waste. For instance, our TENCEL™ Lyocell is a blending partner that can bring added softness and strength to yarns and textiles containing recycled cotton.
A new project from denim manufacturer Artistic Milliners uses specialized TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers that were created to mix with recycled cotton. Typically, TENCEL™ Lyocell is around 38 millimeters long, while shredded cotton lengths vary and can be as short as 5 millimeters. Bringing these fiber sizes closer together, Lenzing made a 32 millimeter length TENCEL™ Lyocell fiber, which Artistic Milliners adopted.
“This makes processing of recycled cotton easier, because recycled cotton is shorter than normal cotton,” explained Tuncay Kilickan, head of global business development, denim at Lenzing. “In order to create a better balance between recycled cotton and TENCEL™ Lyocell, we came up with a special cut.”
With the 32 mm fibers, Artistic Milliners is able to support a larger portion of recycled cotton in its blends. Conventional TENCEL™ can support 30 percent recycled cotton, while the 32 mm fibers can be blended with 50 percent recycled cotton. Two fabrications were developed for this collection: one with 30 percent TENCEL™ and another with 16 percent TENCEL™.
Called 32 mm, Artistic Milliners’ collection showcases the vintage, authentic denim looks that can be created with these shorter TENCEL™ fibers. The fabrics have highs and lows that mimic fully cotton jeans. However, the hand feel has the soft touch that TENCEL™ Lyocell is known for.
“What 32 mm is doing is actually bringing a more cottonized look, even though it’s TENCEL™, and you get very authentic denim-like washes and character with the amazing hand feel,” said Baber Sultan, director product and research at Artistic Milliners.
The mill and fiber maker have both been developing solutions to help reduce waste. Earlier this year, Artistic Milliners debuted mechanically recycled TENCEL™, putting lyocell fibers from its production waste through the mechanical shredding process for reuse. The mill recovers and repurposes fibers at its Circular Park, an on-site recycling facility.
