Lenzing, a world market leader in the field of wood-based specialty fibers, and Södra, a world’s leading pulp producer, signed a cooperation agreement today, June 2nd, 2021, with the declared aim of making a decisive contribution to solving the problem of enormous amounts of textile waste from industry and society. As part of the cooperation, the companies that have been proactively committed to a circular economy for years intend to share their knowledge and develop processes together. An expansion of the capacities for the production of cellulose from used textiles is also planned. The aim is to be able to process 25,000 tons of textile waste per year by 2025.

 

The textile industry is one of the sectors with the highest environmental impact. Millions of tons of textile waste are produced every year, most of which ends up in landfills. With the aim of transitioning to a circular economy, both Lenzing and Södra dealt with the problem independently of one another, and each of them has already developed suitable solutions for themselves. Both companies are experts in their respective fields with many years of experience in large-scale industry.

 

Together they give textile recycling an enormous boost by developing technologies to enable the broader use of cellulose-containing old textiles on a large technical scale. The jointly further developed OnceMore pulp is then used, among other things, as raw material for the production of Lenzing's specialty fibers of the TENCEL x REFIBRA brand.

 

“The cooperation with Södra is an important milestone in our endeavors to implement our ambitious climate and sustainability goals. We are proud to tread this path together with a competent partner. One company alone cannot solve the pressing textile waste problem. Proactive partnerships like these enable us to make progress and bring about real systemic change, ” says Christian Skilich, member of the Lenzing Group's Executive Board.

 

“With OnceMore pulp, Södra has created a worldwide unique solution for processing recycled textile waste into new textiles. With Lenzing as a partner, we are now embarking on the next stage of our journey and will develop a first-class recycling solution for the textile value chain. With new investments, we will also expand our production capacity for OnceMore pulp tenfold in the course of 2022 and increase the proportion of recycled textiles in the product. These are important steps on the way to realizing our long-term goal: to create a circular textile industry, ”said Lotta Lyrå, President and CEO of Södra.

 

“In this decade of upheaval for our planet, the production of wood-based fabrics from recycled textiles is of crucial importance for the protection of biodiversity, because it relieves the forests and makes an important contribution to easing the climate crisis. Canopy is thrilled that these two leading manufacturers are joining forces to bring much-needed next-generation solutions to the fashion industry. We are excited to see that larger commercial volumes will soon be available in the market, ”said Nicole Rycroft, Founder and Executive Director of Canopy.

 

In line with their vision of the circular economy “We give waste a new life. Every day “Lenzing drives the industry towards a fully-fledged circular economy by striving to give waste a new life in all aspects of its core business and to develop circular solutions together with potential partners inside and outside the current value chain. Lenzing has extensive experience in developing mature innovations in the field of recycling, such as their REFIBRA and Eco Cycle technologies. In addition to the use of pure fiber pulp, these technologies enable the processing of a considerable proportion of recycled material, which is obtained from cut-off residues from cotton production and used clothing.

 

OnceMore from Södra is the world's first process for the large-scale recycling of textile waste from mixed fabrics - and the forest actually makes this process possible. This process turns wood-based cellulose and textile waste into a pure, high-quality fiber pulp that can be used to manufacture new clothing and other textile products. In the course of 2022, the production capacity for OnceMore pulp will be expanded tenfold through new investments and at the same time the proportion of recycled textiles used in the process will be increased. The aim is to be able to process 25,000 tons of textiles annually and a OnceMore by 2025 To offer pulp that consists of equal parts wood raw material and recycled textiles.