Austria’s The Lenzing Group, the world’s leading supplier of specialty fibres, and Sweden’s leading pulp producer Södra have reached the next major milestone in their strategic partnership to promote circularity in fashion. Together with Portuguese fabric manufacturer Riopele, the two companies are developing textiles made from recycled and sustainably produced materials for a spring/summer collection by fashion brand Filippa K, which will be presented to the fashion world this autumn.
It is the first fashion collection worldwide to contain Tencel x Refibra lyocell fibres based on the further developed OnceMore brand pulp. OnceMore pulp, which was jointly developed further by Lenzing and Södra, is the world’s first process for large-scale recycling of textile waste from blended fabrics. Using the innovative Refibra technology, Lenzing produces lyocell fibres from it in a closed-loop manufacturing process. With Riopele’s expertise in yarn and fabric production, the sustainably produced pilot fibres are subsequently turned into fashionable fabrics that Filippa K uses in the collection, The Lenzing Group, Södra, and Riopele said in a joint report.
“One company alone can’t solve the pressing issue of textile waste. It is proactive partnerships like this that enable us to move forward and bring about real systemic change,” said Robert van de Kerkhof, Chief Commercial Officer Fibre of the Lenzing Group. “We’re working hard to make our industries even more sustainable and to drive the transformation of the textile business model from linear to circular. Further efforts from the entire industry are needed for this transformation to take place.”
“We are so excited to be the first brand developing products in the new textile based on OnceMore pulp using Lenzing’s Refibra technology, supported by Riopele’s Creative Expertise in yarn and fabric production. We are not in this alone. Collaboration is an essential step in sustainable transformation of the industry. It is important to us at Filippa K to join forces with like-minded partners who are innovators in their own fields,” said Jodi Everding, Vice President of Sustainability at Filippa K.
Lenzing and Södra have been joining forces in textile recycling since 2021, making a decisive contribution to promoting the circular economy in the fashion industry. As part of the cooperation, the companies intend to share their knowledge with each other and jointly develop processes to enable broader use of cellulosic used textiles on a commercial scale. The jointly developed pulp OnceMore will subsequently also be used as a raw material for the production of Lenzing’s Tencel x Refibra branded specialty fibres. The goal is to be able to process 25,000 tons of textile waste per year by 2025.
In line with its circular economy vision “We give waste a new life. Every day”, Lenzing drives the industry towards a fully-fledged circular economy by striving to give waste a new life in all aspects of its core business and by co-developing circular solutions together with potential partners in and outside the current value chain. Lenzing has extensive knowledge in developing cutting-edge innovations in recycling such as its Refibra and Eco Cycle technologies. Besides virgin dissolving wood pulp, these technologies allow the processing of a substantial proportion of recycled materials based on pre-consumer cottons scraps and post-consumer garments.
