Lenzing to increase production of responsible viscose in Asia-Pacific for LENZING™ ECOVERO™ and VEOCEL™
Successful conversion of Lenzing’s production site in Indonesia enables expanded production of responsible viscose in Asia-Pacific with a nameplate capacity of 303,000 tonnes per year
Stable supply of responsible viscose certified with EU Ecolabel caters to the region’s changing preference and growing demand for textile products with lower environmental footprint
Lenzing – Lenzing Group, a world-leading producer of wood-based specialty fibers, has announced plans to increase production of its high-quality responsible viscose fibers for its textile LENZING™ ECOVERO™ and nonwoven VEOCEL™ brands in Asia-Pacific. The viscose fibers, which are EU Ecolabel[1] certified and produced in Lenzing’s Purwakarta site (PT. South Pacific Viscose) in Indonesia, will help Lenzing meet the growing demand among environmentally conscious consumers for textile and nonwoven products with a lower environmental footprint. Furthermore, Lenzing has successfully transformed its Indonesian site with reduced sulfur emissions as well as annual CO2 footprint and is expected to contribute to wastewater reduction.
“We are working tirelessly to make the industries in which we operate even more sustainable and to drive the transformation of the textile business model from a linear to circular. I am therefore very pleased that we have now received the EU Ecolabel, which once again confirms our sustainability performance. Demand for specialty fibers with low environmental impacts continues to grow structurally. We see enormous growth potential in Asia in particular. Our investments in Indonesia, as well as in other Lenzing sites around the world, put us in an even better position to meet the growing demand for specialty fibers with low environmental impact,” said Stephan Sielaff, Chief Executive Officer of the Lenzing Group.
Geared up to address growing demand for products with lower environmental footprint in Asia-Pacific
Catering to brands and retailers who serve environmentally-conscious Asian consumers, the converted Purwakarta site’s close proximity to value chain partners in Asia-Pacific enables the transportation of a larger quantity of responsible viscose fibers within a much shorter distance and lead time, thereby reducing the overall carbon footprint of the textile supply chain.
Produced with up to 50% lower fossil energy use and water than generic viscose[2] and certified with the internationally recognized EU Ecolabel, LENZING™ ECOVERO™ branded viscose fibers have been used in fashion woven and knitwear products such as fashionable tops, dresses, t-shirts, and loungewear. Brands using LENZING™ ECOVERO™ branded viscose fibers include top global fashion labels, including M&S, H&M, Levi’s.
“Asia-Pacific presents lots of potential and growth opportunities for us. As brands and retailers continue to reconfigure their manufacturing network, the region has become a convergent of all components of the supply chain from spinners, weavers, knitters to garment makers and sourcing offices,” said Florian Heubrandner, Executive Vice President Global Textiles Business of Lenzing AG. “As demand for responsible viscose continues to rise in the region, the increased production of responsible viscose in the Purwakarta site will not only allow us to work more closely with our existing customers but also allow us to introduce LENZING™ ECOVERO™ to new prospects in the region who are keen to switch from generic viscose to responsible viscose.”
To provide more options for industry partners looking for versatile, responsible products, before the end of 2023, Lenzing’s Purwakarta site will be capable of producing the innovative LENZING™ ECOVERO™ black specialty fibers, which will significantly reduce water and energy usage in fabric dyeing thanks to a spun-dyeing process with a lower carbon footprint.
In line with Lenzing’s goals of reducing group-wide CO2 emissions per ton of product by 50 percent by 2030 and achieving CO2-neutral production by 2050, the converted production site has successfully reduced CO2 emissions by approximately 130,000 tons annually. An integral factor in enabling Lenzing to accomplish this pioneering transformation is the conversion from fossil fuel-based energy to geothermal-based energy at the site.
Images related to the announcement can be downloaded here.
[1] The EU Ecolabel is recognized in all member states of the European Union, as well as Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland. The voluntary label, introduced by an EU regulation in 1992 (Regulation EEC 880/92), has gradually become a reference point for consumers who want to help reduce pollution by purchasing more environmentally-friendly products and services.
[2] These results are from the Higg Materials Sustainability Index (Higg MSI) tool provided by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition. The Higg MSI tool assesses impacts of materials from cradle-to-gate for a finished material (e.g. to the point at which the materials are ready to be assembled into a product). However, this figure only shows impacts from cradle to fiber production gate. LENZING™ ECOVERO™ branded fibers’ Higg MSI scores were calculated based on Higg MSI database v3.5 https://www.ecovero.com/benefits-b2c/