The Lenzing Group, a top supplier of regenerated cellulose fibers for the textile and nonwovens industries, is collaborating with the non-profit RTDS Group and 13 other partners to promote the scaling of lyocell filaments through the CELLFIL project. Co-funded by the EU with EUR 6.9 million, the project aims to drive the textile industry towards greater sustainability and a circular economy.

The Austrian organisation RTDS has launched the CELLFIL project with a forward-thinking approach. Working closely with Lenzing Group, which is leading the technical aspects of the project, CELLFIL aims to reform the textile industry by focusing on the sustainable production of lyocell filaments.

The project seeks to optimize the entire fabric production process and its intermediate steps to replace synthetic fibers with eco-friendly lyocell filaments in recyclable applications. This initiative aims to develop alternative raw material sources for textiles, crucial for scaling up lyocell filament production and promoting a circular economy.

“We are still in the industrial start-up phase for lyocell filaments. Many aspects, such as the availability of lyocell filaments in the supply chain and technological adjustments for processing cellulose yarns, need to be addressed to shift the textile industry, which currently favors polyester filaments,” says Markus Pichler, Head of Lyocell Filament Development at the Lenzing Group.

“We are proud to be working with key industry and academic partners to advance bio-based lyocell filaments and promote a more sustainable and circular textile industry through this innovation project,” emphasizes Stephen Webb, project coordinator and CEO of the RTDS Group.