Tencel’s Green Credentials: Part 2

In our previous two posts, we wrote that Tencel is made from cellulose. The traditional way of converting cellulose into fibre can be chemically intensive; and some of the chemicals involved in the process are harmful to the environment. Fortunately, Austria’s Lenzing Group knows how to convert it in an eco-friendly manner.

The Group uses a revolutionary method known as the Lyocell process to produce Tencel. A close-loop process, it redirects waste products back into production—99.5% of the solvent is recycled—creating almost no waste. The solvent the Group uses is called NMMO (N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide). It’s non-toxic and its safeness has been proven in dermatological and toxicological tests.

All in all, the Lyocell method lowers the chemical intensity of the production process—it reduces the number of steps and the amount of chemicals used (i.e. fewer chemicals and less harmful chemicals are used). This is good for us and our planet.

In recognition of the ecological soundness of the Lyocell process, the European Union awarded Lenzing the highly prestigious European Award for the Environment.

You’ve read so many good things about Tencel. Why not try one today?

You can watch a short video about Tencel at http://tinyurl.com/cq7u8cu. 

Tencel's Green Credentials: Part 1

What makes Tencel green? Here are a couple of good reasons:

1. As mentioned in our previous post, Tencel is made from eucalyptus cellulose. Eucalypti are trees. And trees are a renewable resource.
2. Eucalypti can grow on marginal land—land that can’t be used to produce food.
3. Eucalypti can grow quickly without genetic engineering.
4. Eucalypti can thrive without artificial irrigation.
5. 6 m² of soil produces 10 Tencel T-shirts, whereas the same amount of soil produces only 1 conventional cotton T-shirt.

Nukleus buys all its Tencel from Austria’s Lenzing Group. Lenzing is the worldwide leader in fibre innovation and winner of multiple prestigious environmental awards—including the European Award for the Environment and WWF-Austria's Panda Award.

The Group gets its eucalyptus wood exclusively from sustainable plantations, many of which are certified by the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council). The FSC is a globally trusted organisation that promotes responsible forest management (e.g. appropriate harvesting rates and techniques, non-chemical methods of pest management, etc.). Many organizations and individuals—including Greenpeace, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and well-known environmentalist Jared Diamond—have endorsed the FSC.

Very impressive, don’t you think? That’s just the raw-material side of the story. In our next post, we’ll talk about Tencel’s green manufacturing process.