Tencel in Lenzing Annual Reports (2009)

Tencel sales in Textiles begin to recover and the fibre is mentioned in Business Unit Textiles for the first time in a few years:

Sales of TENCEL® fibers were equally gratifying. Although the demand for TENCEL® for textile applications declined somewhat during the first months of 2009, Lenzing succeeded in gaining a strong market position for innovative fiber blends with cotton, in particular in the denim segment. TENCEL® applications for home textiles developed equally well after considerable marketing and development activity in the preceding years. Sales of flame retardant fibers for military applications remained stable whereas industrial protective applications declined due to the general economic situation.

...and in Business Unit Nonwovens the Wipes and Webs story continues.

Specialty wipes in the reporting year benefited from two factors. Firstly, the new flu raised awareness of prevention by hygienic measures and caused the demand for wipes with anti-bacterial action to rise. Secondly, consumers buying disposable products, such as wipes, increasingly opt for environmentally friendly alternatives. The certification of the TENCEL® fiber as fully biodegradable made Lenzing a global pioneer in this field. For example, a major US retailer in 2009 became a TENCEL® customer for its store brand of baby wet wipes. The company explains the ecological advantages of the Lenzing fiber on the package.  In technical applications, business unit Nonwoven Fibers emphasized its focus on niche products with future potential, such as components for hybrid drives and solar energy devices.

The cooperation with Weyerhaeuser started in 2008 for developing novel nonwovens products based on lyocell recorded further progress. In June 2009 a pilot plant for the production of TencelWebTM went operational at the Lenzing site. The plant produces novel cellulose nonwovens materials made from the raw material wood using the meltblown process. The product is an ecologically sound alternative to nonwovens products made from crude oil – an example of a sustainable climate policy for the industrial consumer market with positive effects on CO2 reduction. 

Source:http://www.lenzing.com/fileadmin/template/pdf/konzern/geschaftsberichte_gb_ugb_jfb/GB_EN/GB_2009_EN.pdf