Materials EUCALYPTUS
Soft, renewable, biodegradable and wrinkle-resistant, lyocell, or Tencel©, is a fiber made from eucalyptus trees from the house of Lenzing. It is of botanic origin, since it is extracted from the raw material wood. On the day that the fiber TENCEL® was invented, a new chapter was
written in the history of fibers. Textiles of TENCEL® are more absorbent than cotton, softer than silk and cooler than linen. Eucalyptus is a woody flowering tree or shrub with environmental benefits similar to the one of bamboo. It grows very fast (up to 20 meter in only 6 to 7 years) and needs no chemicals such as, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides or other fertilizers for it to grow. The need for water is minimal (10 to 20 times less than for cotton) as irrigation is not necessary – only rainwater is needed. The area yielding from the production of eucalyptus is ten times higher than the one for cotton. A 6 m2 large eucalyptus plantation is enough to produce 10 T-shirts, while on the same surface a cotton plantation can only produce one.
In addition, eucalyptus grows in areas that are not used for cultivation and do not disrupt the food production. This advantage is of great importance due to a steady population growth and a therefore growing demand for food. Fiber production itself is extremely ecofriendly, due to the closed loop system. Once the eucalyptus trees are harvested, the wood is soaked in a non-toxic solution. The solvent used is recycled by almost 100% since it is reclaimed, purified and reused again and again. This special
process received the “European Award for the Environment” from the European Union. Find below an overview on certificates, technologies and innovations of our producers.
TENCEL®
Tencel ®: more than a certificate, Tencel ® is a patent on the production process of eucalyptus fiber. The process is charachterized by a closed loop (all the water and the used enzimes are recovered and used again in the production process), therefore being sustainable from an environmental point of view. Tencel has won the Award for Environmento of the European Union. More information on Tencel®.Organic Content Standard
The Organic Content Standard (OCS) relies on third-party verification to verify a final product contains the accurate amount of a given organically grown material. It does not address the use of chemicals or any social or environmental aspects of production beyond the integrity of the organic material. More information on Textileexchange.OEKO-TEX ® Standard 100
The Organic Content Standard (OCS) relies on third-party verification to verify a final product contains the accurate amount of a given organically grown material. It does not address the use of chemicals or any social or environmental aspects of production beyond the integrity of the organic material. All RE-BELLO products in jersey bamboo, eucalyptus (Tencel) and beechwood (Modal Edelweiss) present this certificate. More information on Oeko-Tex.ECO RANKING
It is a challenge to find the perfect fabric among all sustainable materials. Different fabrics have different advantages and disadvantages for the environment in all the various phases of the production process.
Bamboo, for example, even if presenting very high benefits in farming (high soil yield, low water consumption, etc.), is an artificial fiber which needs to be extracted.
On the other hand, cotton is a natural fiber but it presents the disadvantage of the low soil yield and the fact that it steals precious areas that could potentially be used for food farming.
Our aim is to further improve the selection of sustainable materials and to concentrate, where possible, on new and innovative materials with a particular focus on upcyling&recycling.
