Lenzing is putting its plans into action and is bringing CO2-free fibers onto the market under the TENCEL ™ brand in order to stimulate the decarbonisation of the textile industry
With its “Reduce-Engage-Offset” approach, the TENCEL ™ brand is now climate-neutral and reduces the CO 2 balance of products, involves industry partners in the measures and offsets unavoidable emissions in order to make a significant contribution to the decarbonization of the textile industry .
Lenzing is launching new CO 2 -free lyocell and modal fibers under the TENCEL ™ brand that are certified as CarbonNeutral ® products. The fibers will help reduce CO 2 emissions and energy consumption throughout the supply chain.
As part of Lenzing’s long-term “ True Carbon Zero ” campaign, measures are being taken in four important areas – energy savings, renewable energies, new technologies and commitment from suppliers. This is intended to achieve climate neutrality in the long term.
Lenzing – After the Lenzing Group committed itself to sustainability and measures against climate change in 2019, TENCEL ™, Lenzing’s flagship textile brand, is launching the first CO 2 -free lyocell and modal fibers on the market. The CO 2 -free TENCEL ™ fibers are certified as CarbonNeutral ® in accordance with the strict guidelines of the CarbonNeutral Protocol , the world’s leading framework for climate neutrality-Products certified for the textile industry. This means that the emissions in connection with the production and distribution of the fibers are calculated and offset. With the “True Carbon Zero” campaign, the TENCEL ™ brand participates in Lenzing’s commitment to the “Science Based Targets” initiative (SBT) and in the continuous support of the United Nations’ sustainability goals to limit climate change.
To date, the Lenzing Group is the only manufacturer of wood-based fibers in the industry that can demonstrate recognized “Science Based Targets” goals. Lenzing’s goal is to reduce specific greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030. The CO 2 -free TENCEL ™ modal and lyocell fibers will be available from the end of September and contribute to this goal through reduced production emissions and the industry’s commitment to lowering energy consumption along the entire supply chain. In addition to the new sustainable options for the textile and fashion industry, the new types of climate-neutral fibers signal one thing: a clear commitment to Lenzing’s earlier announcement that more than 100 million euros will be invested in reducing CO 2-Investing emissions in the operational area and in the supply chain.
With completely new fibers on the way to climate neutrality
The CO 2 -free TENCEL ™ fibers are biodegradable and of vegetable origin. These fibers will have an independently tested label and give customers, brands and consumers of Lenzing products a new level of sustainable transparency. In addition to improved environmental protection, the fibers also offer the functional advantages of other TENCEL ™ fibers, including a soft feeling on the skin, long-lasting softness, silky suppleness, improved breathability and color fastness.
The introduction of the new, climate-neutral TENCEL ™ fibers represents an important milestone for transparency in the origin of raw materials used in textile products. In the survey carried out by Lenzing at the beginning of 2020 under the name “Global Consumer Perception Survey on Sustainable Raw Materials in Fashion and Home Textiles”, respondents stated that they actively obtain information about sustainability and the manufacturing process of products before buying. In addition, most respondents indicated that they would consider brands that are transparent about their ingredients and where the origin of the raw materials can be trusted. These findings illustrate the importance of the raw materials and confirm Lenzing’s ongoing efforts to
The “Reduce Engage Offset” strategy to support net zero emissions by 2050
At the end of 2019, Lenzing committed to reducing specific CO 2 emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050. The TENCEL ™ brand from Lenzing embraces these obligations and relies on the pillars “Reduce”, “Engage” and “Offset”, with which the CO 2 balance of the product is actively reduced, industry partners are involved in the measures and unavoidable CO 2 emissions are offset.
With the priority to reduce CO 2 emissions through more efficient production methods in the entire supply chain, to use renewable energy sources and new technologies, Lenzing is also working with the leading experts for climate neutrality and climate finance, Natural Capital Partners, to develop the CarbonNeutral ® – Achieve product certification for TENCEL ™ lyocell and modal fibers. Natural Capital Partners Calls for an independent evaluation of the CO 2 footprint of the products by a third party and works with the best carbon finance projects together, achieve the verifiable and permanent emission reductions and comply with the approved standards of the International Carbon Reduction and Offset Alliance (ICROA) . In addition, CO2 -free TENCEL ™ fibers produced using renewable energies. .
Tom Popple, Senior Manager, in charge of Climate Change and Sustainability at Natural Capital Partners, commented: “With the CarbonNeutral ® product certification for two TENCEL ™ fibers, Lenzing has taken an important step in its long-term plan to reduce company and product-related emissions . And not only that – due to the importance of Lenzing in the supply chains of many fashion retailers, this certification is a sign of climate protection for the entire textile industry. We are very pleased to be working with Lenzing and would like to support the company in meeting its future climate protection obligations. ”
At the same time, TENCEL ™ motivates industry partners and raw material suppliers to work together and to take part in the measures for climate neutrality. Lenzing is the first cellulose fiber manufacturer to commit to the Science Based Targets initiative for this purpose. We want to encourage our industry to improve the transparency of the supply chains, to buy materials with a better CO 2 balance and thus to reduce the total CO 2 emissions.
Until the CO 2 emissions can be completely eliminated, TENCEL ™ will take measures to offset the emissions by supporting verified projects for global CO 2 reduction in regions with an extensive textile industry – e.g. India, Bangladesh or Thailand . “As a company and brand, we have taken steps to improve our environmental footprint, but some emissions are still inevitable. We therefore want to act globally – and we have found ways to help prevent CO 2 emissions around the world. With the concept of CO 2 compensation through compensatory measures, a CO 2-Reduction can be achieved through audited climate finance projects, ”said Florian Heubrandner, Vice President of Global Business Management Textiles at Lenzing.
“Lenzing is convinced that in view of the current climate crisis, every company must take measures against climate change in its sphere of influence. We are extremely pleased to start this new initiative with CarbonNeutral ® products under the TENCEL ™ brand. This is a further step towards Lenzing’s overarching corporate goal, with which we can support partners in the supply chain and motivate textile brands to reassess CO 2 emissions in their production lines. As far as the future is concerned, we will continue to diversify our product portfolio within the framework of strict internal guidelines in order to avoid greenwashing and to involve consumers in the debate about climate neutrality, ”said Florian Heubrandner.
Fundamental changes in operating procedures to reduce CO 2 emissions
In order to ensure a smooth transition to CO 2 -free production, Lenzing uses the Science Based Targets as an orientation aid and applies four important levers, which are energy efficiency, the reduction of the use of fossil fuels, the integration of pulp and fiber production plants as well as ongoing Include investments in new technologies to reduce CO 2 emissions.
“The introduction of our CO 2 -free TENCEL ™ fibers is just the beginning of an ongoing fight against climate change. We will continuously develop our production processes and our range of fibers and not stop at the inherent climate advantage of wood-based fibers. Our primary goal is to achieve CO 2 neutrality for our entire range of TENCEL ™ fibers and the textile supply chain, ”says Robert van de Kerkhof, Chief Commercial Officer of the Lenzing Group. “At the same time, we will continue to work with various partners – from brands to designers to NGOs – to create a more effective ecosystem with which we can achieve the common goal of CO 2-Can achieve neutrality. We continue to support our partners on their way to CO 2 neutrality and encourage all others to our “True Carbon Zero ‘to join movement. Time is working against us, so let’s join forces to fight climate change! “