Lenzing and Södra – a long-standing partnership for systemic change
International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) honored the two world market leaders in the “International Cooperation” category
EU co-funded recycling project for textiles on an industrial scale
Lenzing/Växjö/Keqiao – The Lenzing Group, the world’s leading supplier of specialty fibers for the textile and nonwovens industries, and the Swedish pulp producer Södra have received the ITMF Award 2023 in the category “International Cooperation” for their joint achievements in textile recycling and circular economy.
The award was presented at the ITMF Annual Conference in Keqiao, China, on November 06, 2023. The ITMF Award 2023 is given by the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) to recognize outstanding achievements and merits in the textile sector in two categories: ”Sustainability & Innovation“ and ”International Cooperation“. Since 2021, the two pioneers have been joining forces in textile recycling, making a decisive contribution to promoting the circular economy in the fashion industry. As part of the cooperation, the companies intend to share their knowledge with each other and jointly develop processes to enable the wider use of cellulose-based used textiles on a commercial scale.
“We are very proud to have won this prestigious award together with our partner Södra. I see this as recognition for our joint work, but also as a mandate to continue working on our vision of creating a circular economy for textiles and reducing the negative impact of the textile industry on the environment,” says Stephan Sielaff, CEO of the Lenzing Group.
The OnceMore® pulp from Södra, which was jointly developed further by Södra and Lenzing, is subsequently used, among other things, as a raw material for the production of Lenzing fibers with REFIBRATM technology.
The OnceMore® process makes it possible to process and recycle a blend of cotton and polyester.
“This award is proof of our successful collaboration with Lenzing and our shared ability to develop innovative solutions for a more sustainable future. We look forward to further advancing our collaboration and bringing about real change in the textile industry,” said Lotta Lyrå, President and CEO of Södra.
ITMF paid particular tribute to the joint LIFE TREATS project (Textile Recycling in Europe AT Scale)1, which was supported by an EU grant of EUR 10m under the LIFE 20222 program and aims to build a large-scale plant at Södra’s Mörrum site in Sweden.
“The unique across-the-border and long-term cooperation between Lenzing and Södra is a true role model and important for the circular economy transition in the textile industry. A goal that can only be reached by extensive cooperation among the value chain actors,” says Christian Schindler, ITMF Director General.
