Why LENZING™ ECOVERO™ is becoming the industry's top choice for brands and suppliers

The new standard for eco-responsible viscose, LENZING™ ECOVERO™ fibers are rapidly becoming the industry choice for textile suppliers and fashion brands. First launched by Lenzing in 2017, LENZING™ ECOVERO™ fibers are viscose fibers derived from sustainable wood and pulp and produced using a lower impact production process that has up to 50% less water impact and CO2 emissions. Recently, the leading fiber producer announced that LENZING™ ECOVERO™ hit a global production milestone of 300,000 tons manufactured since the launch of the fiber. Now, Lenzing is gearing to expand its offering and achieve even higher capacity in 2023 in response to consumers' and buyers' demands.

With the global viscose market expected to grow at an average annual rate of 6.20 percent to reach 8,016.75 KT (thousand tons) by 2026, Lenzing facilitates the needs of the growing viscose market while ensuring the least environmental impact where possible – aligning its viscose business with its overarching emissions reduction goal. Expanding the production capacity of LENZING™ ECOVERO™ fibers in both existing and to-be minted production sites will be a key step as Lenzing looks to establish LENZING™ ECOVERO™ fibers as more than just a sustainable option, but the market standard for textiles. But what differentiates LENZING™ ECOVERO™ from conventional viscose, and what are some of its benefits?

While conventional viscose and LENZING™ ECOVERO™ fibers are both cellulosic fibers, the latter are made from wood pulp that comes from certified and controlled sources, such as sustainably managed forests, and have been certified with EU Ecolabel for textile products – a label that is awarded to products meeting high environmental standards from raw material sourcing, to production, distribution and disposal. Lenzing has also been consistently ranked among the top viscose producers worldwide by the non-profit environmental protection organization Canopy for its sustainable wood and pulp sourcing practices.

In addition, LENZING™ ECOVERO™ fibers are produced on-site at Lenzing's facilities through its patented production process, which has significantly lower emissions and water impact than conventional viscose, as confirmed by the Higg MSI*. The production of ECOVERO™ has up to 50% lower water impact while maintaining a highly efficient usage rate. Nearly all the chemicals used during the production of LENZING™ ECOVERO™ fibers are recovered and reused, while the remaining water used is cleaned before being returned to nature. The production of LENZING™ ECOVERO™ also produces 50% CO2 emissions and takes up half as much energy to produce, further helping combat climate change.

Certified with the EU Ecolabel, this label of environmental stewardship recognizes LENZING™ ECOVERO™ as viscose fiber that achieve lower levels of environmental impact throughout its lifecycle, from raw material extraction to production, distribution, and end-of-life disposal. The certification also signals to consumers that textile products made with LENZING™ ECOVERO™ fibers have been manufactured with a high commitment to environmental standard, an important reassurance for the sustainably-driven consumer. Along the supply chain, Lenzing’s innovative Fiber Identification technology also enables LENZING™ ECOVERO™ fibers to be identifiable in the fabric and in the final product, providing brands with the same level of traceability and protection from counterfeiting as all Lenzing specialty fibers.

Next to its sustainability and production benefits, LENZING™ ECOVERO™ fibers are versatile, maintaining the same properties as conventional viscose, such as a smooth hand-touch feel. The ideal partner to use in blended textiles and fabrics, LENZING™ ECOVERO™ fibers can be modified in length, strength, and stability depending on the client's demands. Easier to care for than natural fibers such as cotton, LENZING™ ECOVERO™ fibers offer other benefits like fast drying and thermoregulation, making them great for athletic wear, loungewear as well as home textiles, and home wear.

With LENZING™ ECOVERO™ fibers are on their trajectory to becoming widely available in major textile markets, more and more brands including the likes of Zara, Tommy Hilfiger, Mango and Marks & Spencer are making the switch away from conventional viscose, bringing the textile industry a step closer to achieving true sustainability.

“Brands turn to LENZING™ ECOVERO™ as their choice of viscose because the fibers we produce offer unprecedented levels of sustainability, traceability, and physical properties,” said Jayaraman Sethuraman, Senior Commercial Director for AMEA & NEA Textile Business, Lenzing AG, “Looking at the expansion of the global viscose market, we have utmost confidence in LENZING™ ECOVERO™ becoming the market standard for sustainable viscose.”

*Compared to generic viscose and calculated using the Higg Materials Sustainability Index (Higg MSI) tools provided by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition. The Higg MSI tools assess impacts of materials from cradle-to-gate for a finished materials (e.g. to the point at which the materials are ready to be assembled into a product). However, this figure only shows impacts from cradle to fiber production gate.