Sustainable Fabric Series: All About Tencel
What is Tencel?
Produced by Austrian company Lenzing AG, Tencel is the brand name for a fibre known as modal - a type of semi-synthetic rayon - and lyocell - another form of rayon, made with spun wood cellulose. The fibres are incredibly versatile and are often combined with other textiles such as cotton, wool, polyester and silk to improve their functionality.
How is it made?
The fabric is produced from natural, raw wood material which is sustainably sourced from forests. Wood pulp is dissolved in a chemical solvent and the mixture is then pushed through small holes to form fibres. The fibres are then chemically treated, spun into yarn and can be woven into cloth. Throughout the process, the water is recycled and the solvent is reused to form new fibres, in a bid to keep waste from the process to a minimum. Tencel claims that as it uses plant materials, it is biodegradable, and also requires less energy and water in its production than cotton.
What are the benefits of Tencel?
Tencel is soft and holds colour well, while its breathability makes it ideal for use in activewear. The producers claim it helps wick moisture from the skin, regulates temperature and is efficient in aiding temperature regulation.
Though Tencel is currently more expensive to produce than cotton, it also has antibacterial properties which makes it ten times more resistant to bacterial growth than cotton.
Tencel stands out mainly for its softness. In fact, it is softer than any cotton or cotton-blended sheets.
Fabric made of Tencel lyocell also has excellent drape, it doesn’t wrinkle easily, and holds dye well so it makes vibrant colours. It’s also breathable and manages moisture so it helps with temperature regulation. These features make it particularly popular for clothing and bedding brands. Tencel modal is incredibly soft, so it’s most common in intimate apparel and loungewear.
Is Tencel natural?
It has a natural origin, because it’s made from wood. However the finished fiber is technically man-made, so it doesn’t qualify as a natural fibre. That’s why the textiles industry refers to it as regenerated cellulose instead of “natural” or “synthetic.”
As mentioned before, Tencel fibre does have some excellent sustainability features from its production process that make it a preferred choice for brands, including the fact that it recycles water and chemicals, so there’s less waste and it traces the trees to sustainably-harvested forests.
Which brands are using Tencel?
Brands that are already using Tencel in their Sortiments are Armedangles, Miss Green, Recolution, Jan’n’June, Bleed or Lanius.
Sources:
https://utopia.de/ratgeber/tencel-das-ist-das-besondere-an-diesem-stoff/
https://www.calida.com/de-CH/stories/insights/tencel-vs-baumwolle/
