Known for its commitment to sustainable-fiber cultivation, Lenzing has announced the expansion of its identification capabilities within the company’s E-Branding Service. According to Lenzing AG Vice President of Global Textiles Business Florian Heubrandner, by implementing these tools the company is able to support brands and retailers in their sustainable journeys by providing transparency for Tencel lyocell, modal and Refibra fibers in addition to Lenzing EcoVero-branded viscose fibers.

“Lenzing’s fiber-identification technology provides physical identification embedded in the fibers, which allows identification at different stages of the production process such as the fabric and garment level, enabling full traceability of the fibers,” Heubrandner explained. “The technology also guarantees the fibers are produced in state-of-the-art-production facilities that meet high standards for resource efficiency and environmental and social responsibility.”

By including lyocell and modal within its fiber-identification technology, the Austria-based company is able to assure brands and retailers of the fiber origin at different stages of the life cycle, passing along this confidence to consumers.

“It is imperative for brands to clearly communicate exactly where their products come from,” said Heubrandner. “Equally, green-washing is becoming a growing problem in the industry for consumers as buzzwords such as ‘sustainability’ or ‘eco-friendly’ have evolved into a box-ticking exercise for many.”

By November, Lenzing will expand its fiber-identification testing to all fabrics, and within the first half of 2022 the company will add tools to its E-branding Service. With Lenzing’s fiber-identification technology included, fabric testing will include two components of random sampling requested by the company on apparel and home-textile products as well as contingent garment testing on licensed goods.

“This service will be added once the fibers have been processed in the textile value chain,” Heubrandner said. “With increasing compliance and reputational risks, more fashion brands have committed to using sustainable fibers, with transparency being a core part of their business priorities.”

In addition to its focus on transparency through authentication methods, Lenzing is expanding its responsible measures into a new partnership with Italian citrus-by-product producer Orange Fiber. The collaboration will yield the first Tencel-branded lyocell fiber comprising orange and wood pulp, which will be presented to the market in October 2021.