What is tencel fabric made of

Tencel is soft and silky, with a lovely drape. It feels very finely spun. Fibres all tend to work this way. Tencel is also strong and moisture wicking. The Dutch not-for-profit, Made-By, created an environmental benchmark for fibres. It ranked fibres from Class A, for the most sustainable options, to Class E for the least sustainable. Organic linen was ranked Class A, and standard linen Class C. Tencel lyocell was ranked class B.

They have since opened the Chinese and Indonesian factory. Currently, our understanding is that the wood pulp is manufactured into Tencel yarn at the above manufacturers and then sold to third parties to be turned into fabric.

The USDA factsheet on this program states:. The program was created by the Farm Bill legislation , and expanded as part of the Farm Bill. Again, anything made out of cellulose should be biodegradable and compostable. The Rainforest Alliance states that:. FSC and PEFC certification systems provide a relatively reliable product tracking system and is a way, to date, for Lenzing to provide their customers with supply chain information.

Lenzing performed well in some areas and less well in others. The biggest areas of concern for us at EME were Indicator 2. Tencel is a brand name for a set of fibers called lyocell and modal think of it like Band-Aids are to bandages or Kleenex are to tissues. These fibers are known for feeling super soft and are widely used in sustainable fashion.

Tencel is somewhat similar to rayon i. Manufacturers take wood pulp, dissolve it in a chemical solvent, then push it through an extruder to form the fibers. The big difference is rayon requires more energy and chemicals to produce, which is both wasteful and toxic for the workers who make it. It also uses wood from trees in sustainably-harvested forests. Tencel stands out mainly for its softness. These features make it particularly popular for clothing and bedding brands.

Tencel also gets blended with other fibers that are more recognizable e. Yes and no. After the pulp is treated and dried, it is next put through spinnerets, which is some type of machine that we imagine whirls like a tornado to create the strands that are sent off to be woven into fabrics.

So now we've got the fabric, what's so great about it? Being that it is made from a naturally occurring raw material, this fabric is an Eco-friendly, vegan option that can be substituted for many more labour intensive and non-vegan fabrics, like silk and suede.

The production process is a closed-loop system as opposed to a linear system, meaning that all by-products created are useable. The trees are grown and processed, the solvent and water used is recycled, the fabrics created are biodegradable, and therefore will eventually return to the ground from whence they came.

Linear production systems always have an end product that has no where to go. Many synthetic fibers are not biodegradable, and even if there was international infrastructure in place to recycle the fibers, they will still never be able to return to the Earth naturally due to the chemical manipulation they have undergone.

We hope this kind of mentality towards production continues to grow and revolutionize the textile industry. The first time you try on something made from Tencel, it is hard to believe that it is made from something that used to shade the forest floor. Depending on how the fabric is finished, it has the ability to imitate cotton, silk, suede, and even leather. It is an extremely durable fiber and unlike silk, Tencel is still just as strong when it is wet and garments can be washed or dry cleaned some versions are dry clean only, so make sure you check the tag.

It has a surprisingly smooth, soft feeling against your skin.