The Austrian Lenzing AG, manufacturer of the cellulose fiber Tencel and other special fibers for the textile and nonwovens industries, has entered into a partnership with the EU co-financed project CISUTAC (Circular and Sustainable Textile and Clothing). is committed to researching new possibilities for textile recycling. Lenzing is one of 27 consortium members, including industry association Euratex, textile companies Inditex, PVH and Decathlon, and non-governmental organization Oxfam.
The aim of the consortium is to identify and remove hurdles that impede the circularity of the value chain. This aims to minimize the overall environmental impact of the textile sector through the development of sustainable, novel and inclusive large European value chains.
“Effective textile recycling is one of the most important and at the same time most complex core issues of the textile industry in the coming years. By pooling know-how and collaborating with partners along the value chain, we can accelerate this necessary development and drive forward solutions,” says Sonja Zak, Head of Circularity Initiative at Lenzing.
Lenzing has been developing and promoting recycling innovations for years to provide solutions to the global textile waste problem. In 2021, Lenzing signed a cooperation with the Swedish pulp producer Södra. The two leading companies in their segment want to pool their knowledge and jointly develop new processes for recycling used textiles.