#Recycling / Circular Economy

2023-05-11

Lenzing and partners launch Austria’s largest textile recycling project

Cooperation between ARA and Lenzing AG - from left to right: Ing. Jürgen Secklehner - Managing Director ARAplus GmbH, Sonja Zak - Head of Textile Sourcing & Cooperations, DI Martin Prieler - Member of the Board of ARA (Altstoff Recycling Austria AG) © 2023 Lenzing

The Lenzing Group, a world-leading provider of specialty fibers for the textile and nonwoven industries, has taken another big step towards achieving a circular future in collaboration with several partners. Austrian companies and not-for-profit organizations, including Lenzing’s logistics and sorting partner ARA (Altstoff Recycling Austria AG), the textile service provider Salesianer Miettex and Caritas, as well as the Swedish pulp producer Södra have joined forces to collect used household and clothing textiles for reprocessing to produce pulp and, ultimately, new lyocell and viscose fibers.

Lenzing, ARA, Salesianer Miettex, Caritas and Södra joining forces to drive forward the transition to circularity

Joint project involving the collection, transport and sorting of used textiles for processing to make pulp and fibers

Pioneering project with a strong social component

In this pilot project, used textiles collected by Salesianer Miettex that are not suitable for reuse will be passed on to ARA, before being delivered to Caritas for sorting by hand at a recycling plant. The Caritas recycling facility provides secure employment to more than 70 people with disabilities. After the sorting process, the textiles will be delivered to Södra for recycling and processing to produce OnceMore® pulp. This method is a world first in the industrial recycling of textile waste made from blended fibers. Lenzing will then apply its innovative REFIBRA™ technology to produce new lyocell and viscose fibers.

“One company alone cannot solve the pressing problem of textile waste. Proactive partnerships such as these allow us to make progress and accomplish real systemic change,” says Sonja Zak, Head of Textile Sourcing & Cooperations at Lenzing Group. “We work hard to make our industries more sustainable and promote the transformation of the textile business model from linear to circular. Continued action across the whole sector will be necessary to facilitate this transition.”

“The EU’s action plan puts waste and secondary raw materials front and center to cement their role on the market. Thus, in the recycling business, it is vital to maintain a 360-degree view of all consumer products. ARA has been instrumental to the implementation of extended producer responsibility in Austria for 30 years. It therefore makes sense to incorporate this expertise into the textile sector. This means that in the future we will be recycling not only packaging, but as many products as possible, including textiles,” adds Martin Prieler, CEO of ARA.

Partnerships for systemic change

The transition to a truly circular economy requires collaboration between several parties. Lenzing represents only one part of the textile and nonwoven value chain and is reliant on the cooperation of partners across the whole chain. Partnerships and projects such as these help Lenzing to promote and accelerate systemic change.

Lenzing and Södra have been working together on textile recycling since 2021, making a crucial contribution to the promotion of circularity in the fashion industry. In the course of their cooperation, the companies plan to share their knowledge and jointly develop methods to facilitate the broader use of cellulose-based used textiles on an industrial scale. The further developed OnceMore® pulp will then be used for various purposes, including as a raw material for the production of Lenzing’s specialty fibers under the TENCEL™ brand fibers with REFIBRA™ technology. The aim is to reach an annual processing capacity of 50,000 tonnes of textile waste by 2027. “This collaboration is a great example of how we can join forces and connect the dots in the textile recycling value chain,” says Åsa Degerman, Manager OnceMore® of Södra.

In line with its circular economy vision, “We give waste a new life. Every day”, Lenzing is driving the industry towards achieving a fully-fledged circular economy by endeavoring to give waste a new life in all aspects of its core business. Lenzing has been developing future-proof innovations in recycling for years, including its REFIBRA™ and Eco Cycle technologies. Beside the use of pure dissolving wood pulp, these technologies enable the processing of a large proportion of recycling material that is derived from cutting scraps in cotton production and second-hand clothing.

TENCEL™ Lyocell - HV100 achieves global denim availability in six months; Vol. 2 debuts at Kingpins Amsterdam

When TENCEL™ Lyocell - HV100 debuted at last year’s Kingpins Amsterdam in October, 17 mill partners across five countries presented fabrics featuring the new fiber. Just six months on, participation has more than doubled, evolving into a global network that spans nine countries and four continents, signaling both strong industry momentum and growing demand.

Lenzing unveils three-tier cellulosic fiber portfolio for next generation protective wear

The Lenzing Group, a leading supplier of regenerated cellulosic fibers for the textile and nonwovens industries, today introduces Lenzing Solutions for Protective Wear. This integrated three-tier portfolio is anchored by LENZING™ FR fibers at the highest protection tier for inherent flame resistance and brings together complementary solutions including TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers, both EU Ecolabel-certified² and derived from certified or controlled wood sources³, within a unified protective wear architecture for the first time. The launch marks the most significant expansion of Lenzing’s protective wear business since the company pioneered inherently flame-resistant cellulosic fiber in 1977, and comes as the global personal protective equipment (PPE) market accelerates toward an estimated USD 130 billion by 2033⁴.

EU ban on destroying unsold clothing and footwear now in force

The European Union's ban on the destruction of unsold clothing, clothing accessories and footwear has entered into force. Since July 19, 2026, large companies across the EU have been prohibited from destroying unsold textile products, while medium-sized companies will be required to comply with the same rules from 2030.

Circ launches first denim collection with H&M featuring TENCEL™ | Circ® with REFIBRA™ technology

Circ today announced that the first men's denim collection featuring TENCEL™ | Circ® with REFIBRA™ technology is now available at H&M, marking the commercial delivery of this unique pilot project first announced in October 2025. Featuring two styles available across the UK, Scandinavia, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, South Europe, Turkey, North America, Mexico, Canada, and the Middle East, the launch brings TENCEL™ | Circ® with REFIBRA™ technology into H&M's standard men's denim assortment for the first time.

Eastman Naia™ brings its inside-out denim vision to Kingpins New York

Following its debut at Kingpins Amsterdam, Eastman Naia™ brings the next chapter of its denim story to Kingpins New York, taking place July 22–23. At Booth Green 7, Naia™ presents its denim proposition built around three complementary design directions: Performance Denim, Fashion Denim and Authentic Denim.