TENCEL™ Lyocell – HV100: Lenzing’s Latest Launch Imitates Nature’s Textural Irregularities

The demand for natural fibers is on the rise, but for agricultural inputs like cotton, there is a limit to how much the crops can keep up with demand. There is only so much land that can be allocated to cotton growing. Grown fibers are also subject to pricing volatility, which has an impact not only on sourcing and buying, but also on what farmers choose to plant in their rotations.

Man-made cellulosic fibers can help to close this gap, and a new launch from Lenzing Group aims to expand lyocell’s applications by more closely mirroring natural fibers.

Although wood-based fibers share certain characteristics with their cellulosic cousins like cotton and hemp, there has traditionally been one key difference between them: fiber length variability versus uniformity. When cotton bolls are cleaned and prepped for spinning, the individual fibers that result are different lengths, diameters and shapes. In contrast, since man-made cellulosics are produced in a factory, they are all consistent and cut to one staple length. When these fibers are spun, these properties affect the yarn outcome.

Helping to better mimic the texture and irregularity of natural fibers, Lenzing Group is introducing a new variety of its TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers. Dubbed TENCEL™ Lyocell – HV100—with the HV standing for “high variation”—the fibers are cut in lengths ranging from 10 millimeters to 28 millimeters. This patent-pending process has configured a cutting machine to produce all the fiber lengths at the same time, rather than cutting them separately and blending them afterward.

Florian Heubrandner, executive vice president global business management textiles at Lenzing, said it has been “in development for some time” as the company had customers often asking for a more “cotton-like lyocell.”

TENCEL™ Lyocell – HV100 is already commercially available; Lenzing’s Austria headquarters has the capacity to produce significantly high volumes of the fiber to meet demand.

“TENCEL™ Lyocell – HV100 redefines what regenerated cellulosic fibers can achieve,” said Rohit Aggarwal, CEO of Lenzing Group. “It comes at a crucial time as the industry faces a widening gap between fiber demand and supply. As the textile industry adapts to meet increasing demand for natural aesthetics and more sustainable solutions, TENCEL™ Lyocell – HV100 provides a unique answer to both.”

As with conventional TENCEL™ Lyocell, HV100 comes with a sustainability story. It is produced in Austria using low impact, closed-loop processes.^{1, 2}

“Sustainability conversations with our partners consistently return to a central question: How can we reduce environmental impact while fostering design possibilities?” said Krishna Manda, vice president corporate sustainability at Lenzing. “TENCEL™ Lyocell – HV100 provides one solution by combining the resource efficiency of our closed-loop production,¹ which results in at least 50 percent less water consumption² and carbon emissions than generic lyocell, with the aesthetic versatility our partners need to differentiate their products.”

In denim, TENCEL™ Lyocell applications have typically been focused on the weft or inside weave of the jean, allowing for softness in the hand (or in this case, leg) feel. This is partly because aspects such as the dye uptake and washdown varied in appearance from cotton to TENCEL™ Lyocell-containing warps, or the exterior side of the denim weave. Compared to cotton’s highs and lows and texturized appearance, TENCEL™ created a shinier look, drapey hand and grayish shade. While this might be what some customers were after for dressier jeans, it wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

With TENCEL™ Lyocell – HV100, more jeans can contain TENCEL™ Lyocell in the warp, opening up broader use of the fiber in denim. The fabric has more body, less shine and more texture than the same blend would have had with conventional TENCEL™ Lyocell.

“With TENCEL™ Lyocell – HV100, we’re pushing denim design further—achieving bright blue indigo washdowns without off-shades, a matte authentic look and that natural softness we’ve always aimed for,” said Tuncay Kilickan, head of global business development, denim at Lenzing.

Typically, TENCEL™ Lyocell – HV100 will still be blended with some cotton to give more heft to bottom weight fabrics. It can also be blended with recycled cotton to be used as a carrier fiber.

To demonstrate the design potential of TENCEL™ Lyocell – HV100 for denim, Lenzing initially partnered with four global denim mills: Advance Denim in China, Textil Santanderina in Spain, Orta Anadolu in Turkey and AGI Denim in Pakistan. The mills were sent bales of TENCEL™ Lyocell – HV100 to “test drive” the fiber under non-disclosure agreements. Over the summer, it expanded its bale sharing to more mills around the world. 

Amy Wang, general manager of Advance Denim, explained, “I have long sought a fiber that combines all the benefits of TENCEL™ with the natural feel of cotton—previously a major challenge for Lenzing. Now, they have delivered TENCEL™ Lyocell – HV100, which perfectly achieves the effect I envisioned.” 

Juan Pares, president of Textil Santanderina Group, noted, “TENCEL™ Lyocell – HV100 is more than a fiber; it is a step forward in performance, sustainability and innovation. At Santanderina Group, we are excited for what’s next, because of the future of textiles we’ll build together.”

Oktay Okuroglu, head of sales, marketing and product development director at Orta, shared, “When I saw the TENCEL™ Lyocell – HV100 results, I said, ‘We did it.’ It wasn’t gray, it wasn’t shiny, and it reacted to the indigo dyeing and washing exactly like cotton. To the eye you cannot tell the difference, to the touch you feel the softness and the comfort which you cannot get from a 14 oz. cotton fabric.”

Hasan Javed, executive director of AGI Denim, added, “TENCEL™ Lyocell – HV100 means striking the right balance between authenticity, comfort and sustainability. It’s helping us meet the evolving customer needs, whilst pushing the boundaries of conscious fashion.”

While denim is a key focus for TENCEL™ Lyocell – HV100, the fiber also has use cases for categories like knits, home textiles and woven apparel like chino pants, creating a more texturized look. “The controlled variation opens up possibilities for yarns and fabrics that weren’t previously achievable with lyocell,” said Heubrandner. “We’re already seeing innovative approaches from different markets that suggest significant potential for product differentiation.”

Click here to visit Lenzing Pro to learn more about HV100. And see denim samples made with TENCEL™ Lyocell – HV100 at Kingpins Show Amsterdam Oct. 15-16 by visiting TENCEL™ by Lenzing at booth 12 in the Blue Area.

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