Lenzing has paused production of its lyocell-based Tencel Refibra fibres from cotton waste due to a shortage of high-quality recycled pulp. This is a good example of how the infrastructure for the collection, sorting, and re-processing of high-quality textile waste into garments is at the mercy of both market economics and the availability of new processing technologies.
The company told Ecotextile News that while its Refibra Ecovero traceable specialty viscose made from recycled cotton was still being produced and sold globally, “the supply of Tencel X Refibra lyocell has been stopped for the time being due to a shortage of recycled pulp needed for lyocell production”, confirming – unlike some recent online reports – that this was a pause, not a halt, and was “not linked to the current bankruptcy of Renewcell”.
