TENCEL™ Lyocell - the sustainable synthetic fiber
Fun facts about Lyocell/TENCEL
- Tencel is biodegradable as the fibers are derived from wood.
- The raw material from Tencel would taste good to koalas - in addition to beech, eucalyptus trees are also used. According to Lenzing, all pulp fibers come from sustainable forestry.
- 100% of the eucalyptus tree is used - for the production of sweetener, vinegar, electricity - and fiber.
- 1 T-shirt made of organic cotton or 10 T-shirts made of Tencel could be made from 6 m² of soil.
- Tencel absorbs 50% more water than cotton and wicks it away from the body.
- We call it Tencel, it's actually called Lyocell, but the name Tencel has become common in everyday language. Lyocell is the generic fiber designation, Tencel is the brand name of Lenzig AG.
- Clothing made from Tencel could (given enough time) be disposed of in the compost.
Wool/Tencel blend
Wool cannot be mixed with any fibers as many require entirely different care and would therefore not mix well with wool - for example organic cotton would need to be washed at higher temperatures and with a higher frequency. Wool has self-cleaning abilities and is therefore very low-maintenance - airing or brushing is often sufficient.
Tencel also has these abilities. Tencel can absorb 50% more moisture than cotton and is therefore resistant to bacteria and gives unpleasant odors no chance. The fiber should only be washed at a maximum of 30 degrees and airing it out is often sufficient. A combination of wool with the silky Tencel fabric is therefore ideal.
Certainly also as a vegan alternative to the natural fiber silk in a silky wool/silk mixture.
Advantages of Tencel
Tencel combines many advantages of other types of fabric - it is fine like silk, strong like synthetic fibers, cool and comfortable like linen and silk and complements the warming properties of wool in the best possible way.
Tencel and the environment
The raw material of Tencel is of botanical origin (regenerated fibre), since it is obtained from wood. In addition to beech or spruce, eucalyptus wood is used. According to Lenzing, all the wood used for the production of lyocell is grown in areas that cannot be used for other agricultural purposes. Therefore, cultivation does not compete with food cultivation. The plants and pulp used in production come from sustainable plantations that have been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council ( FSC ).
In the case of beech and spruce, the woods used are not suitable for furniture construction, as they occur during forest maintenance. The trees used also ensure a positive CO2 balance during their growth.
The solvents that are required to produce yarn from wood fibers are harmless from an environmental point of view and are biodegradable. In addition, 99.5 - 99.8% of the solvents used are recovered during production and can be reused. The remainder is broken down in the sewage treatment plant. The production was therefore awarded the "European Award for the Environment" by the European Union.
Even when producing the yarn from the fibers, only a fraction of the amount of water is used that is required to produce other man-made fibers.
Clothing made from this fabric is biodegradable - in theory, clothing could be disposed of in the compost and given enough time would decompose without harmful residues (confirmed in summer 2019 by the Organic Waste Systems research laboratory and TÜV). This means that neither freshwater nor seawater is polluted.
synthetic fiber? How does that go with Danish Pur?
Actually not at first glance. Natural materials that are also obtained ecologically are important to us. Even organic cotton doesn't get on board with us - uh - in the shop - synthetic fibers such as viscose or similar wouldn't stand a chance with us - because even if (to stay with the example) viscose also originates from wood, the subsequent treatment is the same Fiber to fabric is very energetic and releases a lot of chemical toxins into the environment.
We have been observing the Tencel fiber for a few years now and had the first sample meters in the shop in 2018. During this time, Lenzig has improved their energy management, so that they now promise to use 100% renewable energies. On the other hand, we have repeatedly followed studies over the years that deal with the production and ecological balance of the still young synthetic fiber Tencel and have so far not been able to find a snag in the literature in contrast to some other hyped fibers, which then come back after a short time lost their luster.
Clothing made from Tencel
The fiber is characterized by a very smooth and supple structure. This prevents skin irritation and gives the clothing a silky sheen. On top of that, Tencel is breathable.
The fibers of the Tencel fabric are particularly tear-resistant and are therefore well suited for the production of children's clothing that is often heavily used. Even the little ones benefit from the temperature-regulating effect of Tencel.
Tencel can absorb 50% more moisture than cotton and, thanks to its microfine fiber structure, quickly transports it to the inside of the fibers. It can be released to the outside just as quickly, so that evaporation cooling can occur. However, the surface always feels comparatively dry. As a result, Tencel is not only suitable for children, but is also a sensible alternative for adults who sweat more.
Due to the good compatibility and the special properties of Tencel, this substance is also well suited for allergy sufferers and people with sensitive skin.
UV protection
Our wool/silk fabrics are very popular, especially for children and babies, because of the excellent UV protection of these fabrics. With Tencel, there seems to be evidence that UV protection is not that high. The fiber itself has a much lower UV protection than wool or silk itself. According to rumours, the UV protection is even reduced if Tencel is included in a mixture of substances. We are still researching this further, but can therefore clearly NOT recommend the WT mixture as extra UV protection and would still refer to the wool/silk fabrics here.
care instructions
Like wool garments, our Tencel/wool blend can be hand and machine washed. We recommend machine washing on a wool cycle up to a maximum of 30 degrees with liquid organic wool detergent or gentle hand washing with lukewarm water at most and without much friction. Clothing made from Tencel is wrinkle-resistant if it is taken out of the machine quickly after washing and dried wrinkle-free.
Sources
https://www.tencel.com/de/general
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/lyocell
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/238138125_Tencel_-_a_unique_cellulosic_fibre
https://www.list-technology.com/en/sectors/fibers/
https://utopia.de/ratgeber/tencel-das-ist-das-special-an-diesem-stoff/