Södra & Lenzing collaborate on post-consumer textile recycling

Lenzing, a global supplier of wood-based specialty fibers, has teamed up with Södra, Sweden’s major Swedish pulp producer, to combat textile waste and scale up the production of pulp from post-consumer textile waste to make Tencel Refibra fibers.

The objective is to process 25,000 tonnes of textile waste per year by 2025, which equals 50,000 tonnes of pulp including 50% wood and 50% post-consumer waste, under the agreement, which will see the two firms pool their resources in an effort to accelerate the transition to circularity.

The two companies signed a partnership agreement on June 2 to share their information and build procedures together. It is also intended to expand the capacity for producing cellulose from old textiles.

The textile business is one of the most environmentally damaging industries. Every year, millions of tonnes of textile waste are created, with the majority of it ending up in landfills. Both Lenzing and Södra approached the problem individually with the goal of shifting to a circular economy, both having created suitable solutions for themselves.

OnceMore dissolving pulp technology from Södra separates the cotton and polyester in poly-cotton blends, which are among the most frequently used textiles. The pure cotton fibers are then mixed with Södra’s wood-derived textile pulp to create new fabrics.

The agreement intends for OnceMore pulp to be made up of equal parts wood raw material and recycled textiles by 2025, in addition to processing 25,000 tonnes of textiles yearly.

Christian Skilich, a member of the Lenzing Group’s executive board said their partnership with Södra is a crucial milestone in their efforts to execute their ambitious climate and sustainability goals. A single firm cannot handle the urgent problem of textile waste. Such proactive alliances allow them to make progress and effect significant systemic change.

President and CEO of Södra, Lotta Lyrå, added Södra has developed a world-first technology for converting recovered textile waste into new textiles using the OnceMore pulp. They are now beginning the next chapter of their journey with Lenzing as a partner and will build a world-class recycling solution for the textile value chain.

She adds through fresh investments, they will double their manufacturing capacity for OnceMore pulp by 2022 and boost the number of recovered textiles in the product. These are critical steps toward achieving their long-term aim of establishing a circular textile industry.