Austrian specialty fibre-maker Lenzing will soon be launching Eco Vero, a viscose with the lowest environmental impact in the industry to set a new industry-wide benchmark in the sustainability of viscose fibres.

The new viscose fibre would be based on three pillars: use of sustainable wood resources, an ecological production process and a 100 per cent supply chain transparency. The announcement about Lenzing’s new innovation was made at the just-concluded Planet Textiles 2017 in Bengaluru. The Eco Verofibre would be available sometime in September.

Speaking about the backdrop to the new viscose innovation, Amit Gautam, vice-president for global business management textiles, said, “People tend to think of viscose as one market in itself. Our starting hypothesis is this: viscose constitutes multiple markets at the same time. If you look at the sustainability value pyramid, at the very top you have the greenest and cleanest viscose that one can make.

“Moreover, there is an Eco EU Label certification, which is a difficult standard to achieve. EcoVero has 50 per cent lower emissions and water impact than any viscose that you can find in the market. The Eco EU Label is only awarded to products which have a significantly lower net environmental impact than comparable products in the market”, Gautam said.

On Indian prospects, S Jayaraman, regional commercial director for Asia-Pacific and South Asia, said, “With sustainability issues catching up and consumers into responsible shopping behavior, there is a good scope for Eco Vero to pick up. Later this year, we will bring this product from Austria to the Indian market. In the coming years, we will roll out in a bigger way”.

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