The CELLFIL project is another significant undertaking headed by Lenzing AG, the Austrian leading manufacturer of plant-based fibers, together with RTDS Group and 13 industry and research partners in scaling up lyocell filament production. The European Union has invested €6.9 million in this project, making this a very vital step toward a more sustainable and circular textile industry.
One such next-generation fiber is lyocell, derived from wood pulp, which is fast gaining recognition as a viable and sustainable alternative to synthetic fibers like polyester. The key drivers behind this change are increasing environment awareness and a growing need for sustainability. CELLFIL will replace these fossil-based fibers with lyocell, an equivalent that, besides being biodegradable, has an additional advantage of an environmentally friendly production process. In the CELLFIL project, this scope encompasses the entire value chain, from the procurement of raw materials to the manufacture of finished fabrics.
The textile industry is among the largest contributors of environmental pollution, of which a great proportion goes to synthetic fiber dependence. These fibers, made from petrochemicals, add to microplastic pollution and are not biodegradable, thus causing long-lasting harm to the environment. Through an emphasis on lyocell filaments, the CELLFIL project will help alleviate these problems by pushing the production of textiles toward more sustainable and environmentally friendly methods.
The leadership of Lenzing in this project is based on its experience in lyocell technology over several decades. This process involves the least amount of waste and minimal water and solvent recycling to produce the Lyocell fibres, thus being at the cutting edge of the industry for a long time. Scaling up the production of the lyocell filaments, as viewed by them, is a critical step toward offering an effective alternative to synthetic fibers ruling today’s markets for the textile industry.
The CELLFIL project aligns with the circular economy within the textile sector outlined by the European Union. It is true that the achievement of a circular textile economy would need to center on creating a system that promotes products designed for longevity, reusability, and recyclability to reduce waste generation and limit the industrial carbon footprint. Through the EU’s support as a funding party in CELLFIL and other such projects, it can be seen to demonstrate its serious commitment towards promoting sustainable innovative solutions aimed at reducing the industry’s ecological footprint.
One of the essential challenges that lies as the foundation of the CELLFIL project is the already realized industrial capacity for the production of lyocell filaments. Lyocell fibers have been a part of textiles for a long period, but the industry is still in a relatively early stage of adjusting to the Lyocell filaments since they mandate different processing techniques than the traditionally used synthetic fibers. This phase of the industrial start-up has to overcome all technical issues related to the availability of lyocell filaments through the whole supply chain and adjust manufacturing processes to handle the specific characteristics of cellulose-based yarns.
This is an important collaboration bringing together Lenzing, the RTDS Group, other industrial partners, and academic partners to address the above-mentioned challenges. Therefore, driven by consolidating competence and resources, the project targets a higher pace in the introduction of lyocell filaments in the textile industry, paving the way for a more sustainable and circular approach in the production of fabrics.
Ultimately, this will mean a high degree of progress toward a more sustainable textile industry. By concentrating the CELLFIL project on the production of lyocell filaments, Lenzing and its project partners are contributing to the decrease of dependence on synthetic fibers within the industry by producing biodegradable, environmentally friendly alternatives. The support by the EU underlines its strong commitment to fostering sustainable innovation and achieving a circular economy within the textile sector.
By the completion of the project, it will be among the most influential in making the textile business more sustainable and reducing environmental impact. Thus, the initiative is not only serving the environment but also acting like a spearhead of projects to come in trying to achieve sustainability across industries.
Source: Lenzing