Lenzing develops Refibra a new cellulose fiber with recycled cotton

Lenzing has developed the first cellulose fiber featuring recycled material on a commercial scale. The new fiber dubbed Refibra is based on cotton scraps and wood. The fiber is produced in the Tencel production process.

The new Tencel generation Refibra stands for “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.”

Now Tencel, an environmentally responsible fiber of botanic origin, is the root of what Lenzing feels is likely the most sustainable fiber.

Refibra is essentially Tencel made from cotton scraps and wood and the company feels it will further build its reputation as a leader in the field of environmental fiber technology and push new solutions in the textile industry toward a circular economy by recycling production waste.

Stefan Doboczky, chief executive officer of Austria-based Lenzing said that for Lenzing, developing circular business models in the fashion industry ensures the decoupling of business growth from pressure on ecological resource consumption.

According to the company, the system makes it possible to identify the Refibra fibre in the finished textile. This is said to guarantee transparency in the overall processing chain. The Refibra fibre itself is part of the global Lenzing Branding Service and the brand is licensed once the textile has undergone a certification process.

The brand name Refibra and the claim ‘Reborn Tencel fiber’ illustrate immediately that this new kind of fiber is made of recycled materials promising reduced.

It reduces the need to extract additional virgin resources from nature and reduces the net impact on ecological resources.

By creating Refibra fiber Lenzing has achieved a milestone in its innovation heritage. Refibra was launched at Première Vision textile fair in Paris.