Lenzing Group Obtains USDA’s Biobased Certification For Three Products

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Lenzing Group Obtains USDA’s Biobased Certification For Three Products

The Lenzing group that supplies global textile and nonwovens industries with high-quality botanic cellulose fibers, ranging from dissolving wood pulp to standard specialty cellulose fibers, has been awarded the biobased certificate for its manufacture of acetic acid, furfural and magnesium lignosulfonate by the U.S. department of agriculture (USDA).

A Lenzing release stated, “This prominent certification is further official proof that these three products of our Group are derived 100% from the natural and renewable raw material wood..

“Lenzing stands for a responsible approach to nature. For this reason, we use 100% of the natural resource wood, from the core to the bark – as pulp, bioenergy and bio-chemicals such as acetic acid,” explained Lenzing CEO Stefan Doboczky. “That is why we are very pleased that our pioneering role with respect to the issue of sustainability has gained worldwide recognition,” Doboczky added.

The Lenzing Group produces dissolving pulp at its sites in Lenzing, Austria and Paskov, Czech Republic. All the valuable raw materials are extracted from the wood within the framework of a cascading use. Acetic acid is derived from beech wood in the pulp production process, is recovered in several process steps and processed into high quality, food-grade acetic acid, for example for the food industry. Furfural is a product utilized as a solvent in the refining of lubrication oil, to name one example. Magnesium lignosulfonate is found in animal food or fertilizers.

On this basis of this award, Lenzing once again underlines its very high ecological standards. Just a few months ago, Lenzing Modal® fibers and Lenzing Viscose® fibers, including all product families, were also given the USDA Certified Biobased Product Label. The particularly environmentally compatible TENCEL fibers have already been certified as biobased since the year 2011.

“The certification of biobased products is part of the BioPreferred program implemented by the USDA. It is designed to motivate government institutions and companies to purchase biobased products or those which largely consist of biological materials,” the release disclosed.