Lenzing Beyond Organic Cotton Michael Kininmonth
Global warming yeh or nay?
Persuasive argument?
(Un)sustainability The clothing and textile industry is huge Worth over US$ 1 trillion world-wide It contributes to 7% of world exports It employs approximately 26 million people However as an industry the clothing industry is locked into a cycle of unsustainability The relationship between productivity (added value) and resource use has entered into a chronic and unsustainable pattern
Identity crisis? Yes I ve been using TENCEL it s a type of nylon Identity crisis less so within the textile trade Identity crisis.far more so with consumers Unlike certain textile fibres Cotton absorbent, comfortable Linen cool Wool warm Polyester easy care Cashmere soft MMC fibres do not have a profile within the consumer s psyche So how would I sum up man-made cellulosic fibres?
Great concept.so I ve plagiarised it
Identity crisis?
Identity crisis?
Identity crisis?
Identity crisis?
Lenzing Fibers
Areas of Application for Lenzing Fibers Lenzing Viscose - Sets the Industry Standard Clothing made of woven textiles and knitwear Lenzing FR - The Heat Protection Fiber flame-resistant protective clothing Lenzing Modal - Makes the World a Softer Place Home Textiles: terry cloth products Clothing: underwear TENCEL - The New Age Fiber Underwear / outerwear Wovens / knits Formal / casual
TENCEL Footprint Silk, Modal, Cupro, Microfibres, Cotton Softness Comfort Natural fibres Cellulosics Recycled PE Organic cotton Hemp Environment TENCEL Performance Drape Cupro Modal Viscose Silk Synthetics
TENCEL Footprint Silk, Modal, Cupro, Microfibres, Cotton Softness Comfort Natural fibres Cellulosics Recycled PE Organic cotton Hemp Environment TENCEL Performance Drape Cupro Modal Viscose Silk Synthetics
Nature s cycle
Why cellulose? Most important natural building block Available in abundance Cellulose is generated by photosynthesis consumes CO 2 Biodegradable / compostable Renewable Sustainable Recyclable
Man-made cellulosics Lenzing fibres use cellulose from trees as their raw material Trees grow on marginal land unsuitable for food crops Lenzing only uses raw material from sustainable sources which are certified by an independent certifying bodies FSC PEFC SFI
Wood as a raw material Storage of the forest s carbon right through the life of the products and beyond, through recycling Substitution for other products which produce higher CO 2 emissions Recovery of the energy stored in the wood at the end of the products life by combustion as a substitute for fossil fuels Renewal of the forests, as timber use stimulates the expansion of forests, increasing the carbon sink effect and sequestering more CO 2 from the atmosphere
Modal technology 100% beech wood-based fibre - trees from middle-european forests PEFC chain of custody certified Integrated pulp and fibre production on Lenzing site By products managed bark and liquors burnt to generate power wood sugar xylose used for manufacture of Xylitol sodium sulphate used in manufacture of washing powder acetic acid medical and food production
Lyocell technology Purest cellulosic fibre available Wood pulp + water + solvent - input TENCEL fibre + water + solvent - output solvent used is non-toxic (99.7% recycled) Based on eucalyptus trees (FSC certified forestry and pulp production) Closed-loop technology
Detailed flow diagrams
What are the options? Oil-based Polyester, Polyamide, Polypropylene Oil is running out, even if the experts cannot agree when!
What are the options? Oil-based Polyester, Polyamide, Polypropylene Oil price reflects that it is becoming a scarce resource
What are the options? Plant crops Cotton, PLA (poly lactic acid) These fibres depend on arable land either directly (cotton) or indirectly (corn for PLA) Competition for arable land is increasing for food and bio-fuels The root causes of the phenomenon of rising food price, high energy and fertilizer prices, the demand for food crops in bio-fuel production, and low food stocks - are likely to prevail in the medium term. The World Bank February 2008
What are the options? Plant crops Corn prices continue to increase and jumped to $6.50 in April up by 200% in 18 months Source USDA from Cattlenetwork.com
Quantifying environmental impact Life Cycle Analysis carried out by Utrecht University A comparison of the main staple textile fibres Polyester Western Europe Polypropylene Western Europe Cotton US and China (average) Poly Lactic Acid fibre (where information is publicly available) Lenzing Viscose Lenzing Modal TENCEL
Life Cycle Assessment of Man-made cellulose fibres: Modal and Tencel Li Shen and Dr. Martin Patel Department of Science, Technology and Society (STS) Copernicus Institute Utrecht University
LCA of fibres Fibres are raw materials for textile and nonwoven products There are huge differences in usage patterns and lifetime Fibre blends are very common A comparative cradle-to-grave assessment of different fibre materials on the basis of the same final product is difficult and often not realistic (PP shirt?) To compare the LCA aspects of different fibre materials it is useful, to take a cradle-to-factory-gate approach and then include finalpost-consumer-disposal
Life cycle of man-made cellulosics CO 2 H 2 O Photosynthesis Disposal Forestry Use Pulp production Global Textile Industry Fibre production
Cradle-to-factory-gate boundaries CO 2 H 2 O Photosynthesis Disposal Forestry Use Pulp production Global Textile Industry Fibre production
Boundaries energy recovery CO 2 H 2 O Photosynthesis Disposal Forestry Use Pulp production Global Textile Industry Fibre production
What are the environmental impacts? Energy Global Warming Land use Water use CML environmental indicators abiotic depletion human toxicity fresh water eco-toxicity terrestrial eco-toxicity photochemical oxidation acidification eutrophication
Net Non-Renewable Energy Use NREU (GJ/t fibre) 100 80 78 60 56 34 40 26 20 16 13 Cotton 0 PET (W.Europe) PP (W.Europe) Cotton (US&CN) Tencel, Austria Lenzing Modal Tencel, Austria, 2012-20 14/07/2008 33 Speaker: ####
Energy Use - Lenzing
Net global warming potential GWP (t CO 2 eq./t fibre) GHG emissions - tonnes CO 2 / tonne 6 5.5 5 4.2 4 3.1 3 Cotton 2 2.1 1 1.1 0.9 0-0.3 PET (W.Europe) PP (W.Europe) Cotton (US&CN) Tencel, Austria Tencel, Austria, 2012-1 Lenzing Modal 14/07/2008 35 Speaker: ####
CO 2 sequestered in trees
Land Usage (Utrecht LCA) Cotton US : 0,88 ha/t Cotton China : 0,77 ha/t Cotton average US &China : 0,82 ha/t Cotton World average : 1,06 ha/t Lenzing Modal : 0,58 ha/t TENCEL (Austria) : 0,21 ha/t Cotton needs about 4-5 times more land per tonne of fibre than eucalyptus-based TENCEL Further to this trees are grown on what is known as marginal land whereas cotton is grown on agricultural land
Water usage Cotton artificial irrigation 4,300-6,860 m 3 /t* Modal process / cooling*** 494 m 3 /t** TENCEL process / cooling *** 266 m 3 /t**
Water consumption (Utrecht LCA) Cotton US : 4300 m³/t fibre, China : 6860 m³/t fibre Cotton average US & China : 5730 m³/t There is no artificial irrigation for trees Pulp and fibre production requires water for processing and cooling The comparative water consumption figures for our fibers are : Lenzing Modal : 494 m³/t, TENCEL (Austria) : 266 m³/t This represents about 10-20 times less water than cotton Previously cotton data was taken from a publication which reported up to 29,000 m³/t consumed for cotton in Sudan This is roughly 100 times more than for TENCEL The recent lower figures for cotton irrigation result from improved irrigation practices, higher yields (GMO) and the allocation of ~15% of the water consumption to the by-product cotton seed
What are the CML factors? Abiotic depletion use of non-renewable resources (oil, natural gas, coal etc.) Human toxicity impact on human health Fresh water eco-toxicity water pollution Terrestrial eco-toxicity soil pollution Photochemical oxidation ozone generation, air pollution, summer smog Acidification air, water and soil, acid rain Eutrophication fertiliser effects (nitrogen, phosphorus) algae bloom,de-oxygenation [CML stands for Centrum voor Milieuwetenschappen, Leiden University / Netherlands)]
Summary of LCA Oil based fibres require more non-renewable energy and generate more greenhouse gases than the other fibres Cotton and PLA both need arable land for their production PLA cannot be readily compared with the other fibres because of the absence of published information on the CML indicators Cotton stands out because of the very significant land and water use and a significantly higher impact in terms of both aquatic and terrestrial toxicity Overall, Lenzing Fibers have an extremely favourable eco profile For a full copy of the LCA please contact me at: m.kininmonth@lenzing.com
Conclusions Lenzing man-made cellulosic fibers offer a sustainable solution for the needs of the Textile Industry With pressure on oil reserves, water supplies and arable land, cellulose based man made fibres offer an excellent option to help conserve the planet s resources Alternative staple fibers are dependent on polymers from oil, or require arable land for their feedstock Extensive experience and best practice in manufacturing mean that Lenzing can offer a sustainable option
Conclusions - beyond organic? Ultimately Lenzing cellulosic fibres offer a convincing eco-footprint: No pesticides No herbicides No irrigation Use of low grade land No GMO Natural, renewable and recyclable raw material
Lenzing Fibers in harmony with nature Thank you for your attention
We are on your case!