AUSTRIA – Man-made cellulosic fibre producer, Lenzing, appears to have drawn a welcome line under its recent difficulties with the signing of a new European Investment Bank (EIB) contract which will see the bank grant Lenzing a EUR 100m loan to co-finance R&D activities and investment in Tencel fibre production. The EIB loan will contribute to the cost of constructing and operating Lenzing’s new research facilities and pilot plants, as well as spending on new process innovations, most of which will be carried out at the company’s site in Austria.