The Life & Times of TENCEL™
If you’ve browsed our selection of sheets and duvet covers, chances are you’ve come across the brand TENCEL™! You may have read our bedding with TENCEL™ branded fibers is supremely soft, sustainable, and excels at regulating temperature. But if you’ve never encountered this fiber before, you may also be wondering, what is it exactly? And what makes it so special? Read on to find out!
Shop TENCEL™What is TENCEL™?
First thing’s first, TENCEL™ is actually a brand name, not a fabric itself!
It refers to a range of sustainable fibers produced by the Austrian textile company, Lenzing AG. So there’s a big difference between a fabric labelled just “lyocell” or “modal” and a fabric labelled TENCEL™ Lyocell or TENCEL™ Modal. The difference? Quality and sustainability.
To carry the TENCEL™ brand, at least 30% of a fabric’s fibers must be made by Lenzing. As a leader in eco-friendly textiles, Lenzing produces top quality fibers that are sustainable from forest to fabric. Here’s how:
How TENCEL™ Fibers Set a New Standard of Sustainability
Sourced From Renewable Raw Material
TENCEL™ fibers are made out of cellulose from renewable wood sources. Specifically, TENCEL™ Lyocell is mainly made from eucalyptus trees, while TENCEL™ Modal is made from beech trees. These trees are sustainably grown and harvested from European forest based on criteria laid out by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).
Made Using Eco-Friendly Processes
Next step, the eucalyptus and beech trees are chopped into wood chips. These wood chips are soaked in an organic, non-toxic solvent to break them down into pulp. Then, the pulp is ejected under high pressure through tiny holes to produce fibers. Finally, these fibers are woven into fabric like TENCEL™ Lyocell and TENCEL™ Modal.
Sustainable Production of TENCEL™ Lyocell and TENCEL™ Modal
TENCEL™ Lyocell
TENCEL™ Lyocell is well-known for its award-winning closed loop production process. “Closed loop” means the water and organic solvent used to make these fibers is recycled and fed back into production. In fact, the solvent is recovered at a rate of over 99%!
TENCEL™ Modal
TENCEL™ Modal is also made using processes that minimize waste and recover chemicals at a high rate. Specifically, sodium sulfate, a compound generated during production, is recycled and used in household products, like detergent and glass.
