As an ex- fast fashion buyer, I know that, now, you are kind of scared of every fashion brand. Greenwashing being everywhere, sometimes trust is hard to give away. One of my tricks is to look into the material in which the clothes have been produced. Tencel is a new fabric that came to the market a few years ago. This sustainable fabric is beginning to emerge in a lot of collections and gives the clothes an interesting new vibe.
How is Tencel made?
The first thing to know is that TENCEL is not the fabric in itself, it is a brand name. This company, TENCEL proposed two types of fabric: Tencel modal fibre or Tencel lyocell. We will concentrate on the latter for this post.
Tencel Lyocell is made out of wood. As you might have read in this journal previously “nowadays a tree is worth more dead than alive”. this is a quote that resonates a lot with me and makes me sad. I understand that this cannot change as quickly as we would want to. However, if you decide to put a tree down I do believe it should be done in the best way possible and to use EVERY little part of it!
Tencel Lyocell is made of wood pulp which are mixed in a solvent (amine oxide, organic solvent, recyclable) and then dried. The drying process is a spinning process that can take a significant amount of time.
Tencel is biodegradable. On goodonyou.eco, the website compares Tencel’s process of production with cotton’s one. I am not really impressed by that when we know that cotton is one of the most unsustainable fabric in the fashion industry. It is important to specify that the production is made in a closed-loop, hence most of the water and solvents used are reused or recycled.
Tencel when produced is pure white which help with the no-bleach process. It, however, needs a lot of dyes to be coloured properly. Most of the companies producing Lyocell are using harmful conventional dyes but still, this is a point to highlight.
So is Tencel sustainable?
This fabric is considered one of the most eco-friendliest on the market. It is not as amazing as recycled cotton or organic linen.
These rayons can be mixed with others to create a blend. For example, you can find it blended with Nylon (synthetic).
As it is made out of wood and with organic solvent it is biodegradable.
So yes in itself the material is sustainable if it is not blended. If there is a blend make sure you look into it.
However, it does not stop there. Even if your clothes are made of Tencel does not mean they are sustainable. You need then to look into the production of your garments and the ethics of the business.
How does it feel and where can you shop it?
Tencel is getting more and more common. It is a soft material perfect for loungewear or even underwear. Here are a few shops which not only offer Tencel clothing but are recognised for their sustainable mission or their work towards a circular economy.
Toughts:
