Tencel is a textile material made from eucalyptus wood pulp. It is more absorbent than cotton, softer than silk, and cooler than linen. Applications include apparel, nonwoven, and technical applications such as underwear and base layers, baby wear, performance products, bed linens, and denim.
RESOURCES
Tencel is made from Lyocell (cellulose) fiber extracted from eucalyptus wood grown in FSC-certified, sustainably-managed forests. Tencel is produced in Austria, the U.K., and the U.S. Eucalyptus is typically grown in the southern hemisphere.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Tencel is manufactured in a closed-loop process. Solvent spinning is used to process the fiber and solidify it. The dry-wet jet spinning requires a small amount of chemicals. 99.5% of the chemicals are recycled, and the other 0.5% are treated. Compared to cotton, Tencel consumes 10-20 times less water in manufacturing. Tencel is biodegradable in waste treatment plants.
HUMAN HEALTH
Tencel’s moisture management enables reduced bacterial growth on the fabric. No toxic substances remain in the fiber after production.
SOCIAL EQUITY
Lenzing Fibers does not provide any information regarding social equity.