Sateri, the world’s largest producer of viscose fibre, has announced plans to expand its Lyocell production capacity in China, with the view to manufacturing an additional 500,000 tonnes a year by 2025. The strategy will see Sateri establish sites across the country’s Jiangsu province, with work already underway on a 100,000 tonne facility in Changzhou.
Tom Liu, Sateri’s vice president and general manager of Lyocell and Nonwovens, said: “The new expansion plans will enable us to extend our domestic and international market reach and provide our customers with high quality and comprehensive fibre products. At the same time, we will invest in technology improvement, application development, and brand collaboration to bolster the industry.”
Having first forayed into China’s Lyocell market just last year, with the creation of a 20,000 tonne production lune in Rizhao, Sateri is keen to further assert itself in the country. The first phase of its expansion will see the company establish a site in Changzhou, before a facility – also capable of producing 100,000 tonnes of Lyocell annually – is erected in Nantong.
The project underway in Changzhou is expected to be completed by next year, with it expected to be operational by the third quarter. This, Sateri says, will create more than 800 jobs in the country. Scaling the production of Lyocell, which is made from wood pulp sourced from certified and sustainable plantations, aligns with the firm’s 2030 development goals, which it detailed in November.
Amongst the firm’s targets is ensuring it emits net-zero emissions by 2030 and that its viscose products integrate 50 per cent recycled content by 2023.
“Sateri’s continued investment in Lyocell not only responds to the changing needs of the market and the textile industry but also supports China’s green development plans,” noted company president, Allen Zhang. “It is also very much a part of our commitment to sustainable development where we actively seek to adopt a circular economy model through clean and closed-loop production technology and innovation.”
