The Lenzing Group has announced the launch of a new Veocel Lyocell fiber with Eco Disperse technology which is designed for use in flushable wipes. This new fiber demonstrates enhanced biological disintegration performance. The inclusion of this new fiber enables more diverse design opportunities while providing exemplary wet strength and disintegration performance. Versatile and tailor-made for daily care routines, the new Veocel Lyocell fiber with Lenzing’s Eco Disperse technology offers optimized flushability and represents the most advanced fiber under the Veocel brand portfolio.  

With botanic origin, all Veocel Lyocell fibers with Eco Disperse technology feature strong wet strength, biodegradability and effective liquid management. These cellulosic fibers come in cut lengths of 8 mm to  12 mm, and are versatile for blending ratios of 20% – 40% in most wetlaid processing technologies. Nonwoven products featuring a blend containing any of the Veocel Lyocell fibers with Eco Disperse technology and wood pulp have been certified as “fully flushable” per INDA/EDANA Guidelines for Assessing the Flushability of Disposable Nonwoven Products issued in May 2018, after passing seven rigorous industrial tests.      

“Flushability” is not only a hot topic among media, regulators and the nonwoven industry value chain, but also a growing social issue that impacts the sewer infrastructure in communities around the world. The introduction of Veocel Lyocell fibers with Eco Disperse technology is a positive example of Lenzing’s advocacy for the adoption of more sustainable alternatives in the nonwoven industry value chain and meets the various product and performance requirements across different core markets.  

“We take a proactive approach and lay the foundation for flushable wet wipes that combine convenience with environmental responsibility, so that we can bring optimal quality and performance to flushable nonwoven products, as well as other nonwoven segments,” says Wolfgang Plasser, vice president of Global Business Management Nonwovens, Lenzing AG. 

While non-biodegradable synthetic fibers (e.g. polyester) are the most common blending fibers in today’s nonwoven fabrics for wipes applications, the versatility of Veocel fibers offer a sustainable and botanic alternative to synthetic materials. When added to nonwoven products, Veocel Lyocell fibers offers value-added benefits of enhanced absorbency, natural smoothness, and most importantly, biodegradability.  

Enabled by Eco Disperse technology, wipes made from the new Veocel Lyocell fibers have high wet strength usability and can disintegrate within a shorter period of time. For instance, nonwoven fabrics with 20% of the new Veocel Lyocell fibers and 80% of wood pulp reach >90% disintegration within 30 minutes, which is faster than the passing benchmark of the Disintegration Test FG502 in INDA/EDANA Guidelines for Assessing the Flushability of Disposable Nonwoven Products issued in May 2018.   

Veocel Lyocell fibers are produced via a sustainable, closed-loop process, where >99% of the solvent used for the production process will be recovered and reused. The fibers can be adopted as blending material for nonwoven products including baby wipes, facial cleansing wipes, flushable wipes, general purpose wipes, and intimate wipes.