The decision to adopt new fibers is rarely straightforward. A careful assessment is needed to balance the promise of innovation, environmental benefits, and complex supply chains. REFIBRA™ exemplifies this tension – and represents the attempt to further develop circularity in the textile industry.
Portfolio planning means more to us than simply selecting new materials. Every fiber raises questions: about resource consumption, transport routes, degree of innovation, and whether we can be responsible for it in the long term. At the same time, it also determines which production partners we collaborate with – a process that is rarely black and white.
REFIBRA™ belongs to a new generation of regenerative fibers that addresses this very issue. It is made from a blend of wood cellulose and recycled cotton scraps from the apparel industry – materials that would otherwise be considered waste. Simply put, this creates a lyocell fiber that, through the addition of recycled cotton, takes an important step towards a circular economy.
The underlying lyocell process is already considered relatively environmentally friendly in itself. It uses a non-toxic solvent that is almost completely recovered, as is the water used. However, the real innovation of REFIBRA™ lies in making textile waste streams usable and reducing the need for new raw materials.
Behind REFIBRA™ is the Austrian company Lenzing – a globally operating manufacturer of cellulose fibers, already known to many through TENCEL™. The size of this company brings clear advantages: professional structures, high investments in research, sophisticated closed-loop systems, and ambitious environmental goals. Emissions and solvents are largely recycled, water consumption is significantly lower than in conventional cotton processing, and the use of renewable energies is a stated objective.
At the same time, this scale also brings limitations. Not all aspects of raw material extraction can be traced down to the smallest detail. The wood species used come from FSC- or PEFC-certified sources and are processed entirely in Austria; nevertheless, a certain distance to primary production remains. This very ambivalence was part of our internal discussions.
In the end, the positive aspects prevailed: the resource-conserving approach, the consistent development of closed-loop systems, and, last but not least, the quality of the material itself. REFIBRA™ is soft, breathable, moisture-regulating, antibacterial, and free of bleach. The fabric drapes beautifully, feels luxurious, and is recyclable at the end of its life cycle.
Fazit
REFIBRA™ is certainly not a perfect material – but it is a compelling step towards circular textile production. The fiber demonstrates how innovation, waste reduction, and high material quality can come together. For us, it exemplifies how responsible decisions often arise where transparency, dialogue, and continuous improvement are taken seriously.