tencel

Tencel is a fiber developed by the Austrian company Lenzing. In fact, Tencel is a brand name that is used by Lenzing, the actual fiber is called lyocell.

Tencel is a cellulose fiber that in its structure and in its grip is very similar to silk: smooth, soft and with a beautiful shine. Just like rayon, tencel is made of wood, in this case eucalyptus wood. According to Lenzing, the wood comes from FSC managed forests. A plus is that the fiber is made from a renewable raw material. Tencel is also completely biodegradable. Another advantage is that it is a material that easily absorbs dyes, which means that much less dyes have to be used in dyeing than is the case with cotton, for example.

Textile fibers made from wood pulp (viscose) are usually not so 'eco', because pulverizing the wood is generally a very environmentally unfriendly process. Nevertheless, tencel scores very well in this area. That's because the solvents used in the pulping process are almost completely recovered and then reused. A virtually closed loop system, for which Lenzing received an important European environmental award in 2000.