Fashion Industry Waste

Fashion Industry Waste Article

The fashion industry generates massive textile waste, with an estimated 92 million tons discarded annually and only a tiny fraction recycled, contributing to significant environmental pollution and resource depletion. In a nutshell, it’s bad.

Lyocell is a regenerated cellulose fiber (often recognized under the brand name TENCEL™ by the Austrian company Lenzing) made from wood pulp—typically sourced from sustainably managed forests. What sets lyocell apart from other man-made cellulose fibers is its closed-loop solvent system, which drastically reduces chemical waste. Here’s how the process works and why it’s considered more eco-friendly:

1. Using a safer solvent (NMMO)

• NMMO or N-Methylmorpholine N-oxide sounds dangerous, but it’s a non-toxic, organic solvent that dissolves wood pulp into a solution.

• NMMO is safer for textile workers and better for the environment than other chemical solutions, such as Carbon Disulfide, which can cause neurological problems and cardiovascular risks in humans and affect air quality, aquatic life, and soil contamination.

2. The Closed Loop Set-Up

• This is really where Lyocell shines. After the cellulose in the wood pulp is dissolved, the fiber is spun into filaments through a spinning process that helps to rid the solvent from the fibers. During this process, up to 99.5% of the solvent is recovered and reused.

• This allows the solvent to be continually recycled, reducing waste that would have otherwise ended up in our waterways.

3. Reduced Water Pollution

• The fashion industry uses 93 billion cubic meters of water each year. That’s enough to fill 37 MILLION Olympic size swimming pools, or provide drinking water for 2.5 billion people a year.

•  Lyocell uses 70-80% less water because of its closed-loop setup, which recycles and reuses much of the solvent used to create the material. However, exact numbers vary depending on the factory’s technology, water recycling measures, and local regulations. But in general, it is more water-efficient.  

4. Better Working Conditions

• Containing the solvent used to make lyocell into fibers in a closed-loop system helps prevent major chemical leaks and evaporation, limiting worker exposure to chemicals.

• The closed-loop process is also more environmentally sustainable due to reduced wastewater.

5. A Whole Body Approach

• Lyocell production goes beyond creating sustainable textiles and helps to create the capacity to revolutionize not just the textile industry but also act as an example for a net-zero society.

• The best lyocell manufacturing lines often pair the closed-loop chemical system with energy-recovery systems. The heat generated in one step can be reclaimed and used in another.

• And lyocell is fully compostable and biodegradable. This helps address end-of-life concerns when a user no longer needs the garment. It can be composted instead of sent to a landfill.  

Lyocell is safer and more sustainable, helping humanity inch closer to our goal of a circular society where waste is all but eliminated. Purchasing clothes made of lyocell will give you peace of mind, knowing that you’re contributing to the solution instead of being part of the environmental crisis the fashion industry has created.