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.
July 22, 2008
