(Tencel) Lyocell fabric from South Africa is made from Eucalyptus wood pulp
Californians know about Eucalyptus all too well. It was introduced into California because it was supposed to be an important wood for industry. Unfortunately it ended up just being a gigantic, fast-growing weed tree that spread like a celebrity rumor on a bulletin board. In California, we’ve come to cope with the plant. But in South Africa, industrialists have developed a way to turn this plant into a useful fabric.
In South Africa, the Eucalyptus tree presented the population with a serious problem. It was sucking up tremendous amounts of water, and also choking out other plants. This is a very similar thing that happened here in California over one-hundred years ago.
According to the video below by Patagonia, South African industrialists found a way to use the Eucalyptus trees in their area to make Lyocell fabric. This Lyocell fabric is also known by another name, “Tencel.”
This Tencel fabric is supposed to be soft and it is a good combo with hemp. So it is a way to make a rayon-like fabric without using massive amounts of oil.
Several companies are using Tencel and it seems to be gaining in popularity. It is very clear from the video below that the Tencel textile production is a process that is evolving and improving over time. The narrator in the short video explains very plainly that Tencel is environmentally-minded technology, but they have a great deal of room for future improvement and innovation.
It’s exciting to see where this fabric goes and we will be writing about the textile of Tencel in future articles as we get more information and customer/business interaction.
In the meantime, enjoy the video below and watch how South African businesses were able harvest Eucalyptus for Tencel fabric.
-Vital
SOURCES: Voice of America.com – South Africa Water Project Clears Water-Guzzling Alien Plant Infestations – http://www.voanews.com/english/news/a-13-2005-03-22-voa19-67382107.html – Accessed: August 24th, 2011
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