Starting first as a plant, man-made cellulose fibres are made from wood pulp, dissolved in a solvent, and produced into textile fibres.

Man-made cellulosic fibres (MMCFs) like viscose, rayon, modal and lyocell are derived from wood-based sources, including trees or bamboo. The concerns facing man-made cellulose fibres are two-fold: We need to address the issue of deforestation and seek to protect ancient and endangered forests; and we need to consider the chemical usage, waste and energy used in the fibre processing stages.

To reduce our impact at the processing stage, some of our man-made cellulose is sourced from industry-leading suppliers such as Lenzing, who produce innovative man-made cellulose fibres with a lower environmental impact compared to conventional man-made cellulose.

Viscose

Viscose is known for its drape, softness and cool touch. It is a manufactured cellulose fibre sourced mainly from fast-growing, regenerative trees such as eucalyptus, beech and pine.

LENZING™ ECOVERO™ is a specialty type of branded viscose, manufactured using a process that, as Lenzing claims, generates up to 50% lower carbon emissions and water impact compared to generic viscose.

Lyocell

Lyocell is breathable with an extremely smooth hand feel and a beautiful drape.

TENCEL™ Lyocell is a branded fibre sourced from Lenzing. It is made from wood sourced from forests which carry certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). The fibre is manufactured by dissolving and processing wood pulp in a closed loop system with organic solvent, enabling more than 99% of the solvent to be recovered and then fed back into the production process. This means the technology developed by Lenzing has a lower impact than conventional processing.

TENCEL™ Lyocell with REFIBRA™ technology is another type of innovative lyocell from Lenzing. It is made by blending recycled cotton scraps with wood pulp sourced from responsibly managed forests and is made in a closed-loop production process.

Modal

Modal is very soft and breathable like cotton with a silky hand feel.

One of the most commonly used modal fibres is trademarked by Lenzing. TENCEL™ Modal® is made from wood pulp, certified to either the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) standard.

Similar to TENCEL Lyocell, the fibre is produced by dissolving and processing wood pulp in a closed loop system with organic solvent.

Canopy

Canopy works to protect the world's forests, species and climate by collaborating with business leaders, scientists and decision-makers to help create sustainable supply chains.

While man-made cellulosic fibres can be sourced from responsibly managed forests, ancient and endangered forests are still being logged to produce this fibre.

The man-made cellulosic fibres supply chain is incredibly complex and we see great value in the work Canopy is doing to secure large-scale forest conservation and industry transformation.

We are committed to shaping our supply chains as deforestation free. We preference MMCF's that have been assessed as low risk of coming from ancient and endangered forests, from Canopy 'green shirt' rated suppliers, and support Canopy's work to scale-up Next Generation alternative fibres, such as using recycled textile inputs in selected ranges.