Lenzing, Weyerhaeuser Team To Develop Nonwovens

Federal Way, Wash.-based forest products company Weyerhaeuser Co. and Austria-based Lenzing Group have partnered to develop new lyocell-based nonwoven fabrics.

The companies plan to devise a technology for the large-scale industrial manufacturing of a sustainable cellulose-based material that can be used in industrial and personal-care applications. These renewable, wood-fiber-based raw materials new technology will offer an alternative to petroleum-based materials used in nonwoven goods. The product will stem from lyocell technology, in which a cellulose solution is processed directly into a nonwoven fabric without the need for process steps in between.

Both companies will bring expertise in renewable fibers: Lenzing is the sole commercial global supplier of lyocell fibers, offered under the Tencel® brand; and Weyerhaeuser has introduced several cellulose-based products including Peach™ and Pearl™ pulp for lyocell and viscose rayon production, respectively.