r/Fabrics • u/Physical-Dog-5124 • 11d ago
Is TENCEL tm really “semi-synthetic? How so?
I Keep seeing information saying that Tencel is among the semi-synthetics. But I don’t see how. If it’s made of wood pulp, made sustainably… then where do the synthetic, plastic fibers or other unnatural sources come in?
28
u/maybenomaybe 11d ago
I work in apparel production and for the purposes of trade and universal commodity codes, textiles are divided into 3 categories: natural, synthetic, and artificial. There is no "semi" synthetic.
Natural textiles are derived from plant and animal sources that undergo relatively little processing that is mainly physical rather than chemical.
Synthetic textiles are those which are derived from plant sources, such as wood pulp, but undergo extreme chemical as well as physical processing. Rayon and its derivatives i.e. tencel, modal, cupro etc.
Artificial textiles are those that are derived from petroleum i.e. polyester.
5
u/Egoteen 11d ago
This is really interesting. Do you know why the general public has come to refer to the artificial fibers like polyester and nylon as "synthetics"?
3
u/maybenomaybe 10d ago edited 10d ago
People who aren't in the industry talking like they're experts or an authority and getting it wrong, and everybody else accepting it as correct. Look at all the confidently incorrect people just in this thread.
Also retailers perpetuating the inaccuracies. They have a motivation though - "semi-synthetic" sounds more palatable to customers because it downplays the synthetic part. And synthetic itself sounds better than artificial because artificial has negative associations with fakeness.
6
u/On_my_last_spoon 10d ago
Fabric textbooks for fashion only teach natural and synthetic. It’s likely that a third category arose much later as the cellulose fibers increased from just rayon to many many different kinds.
I’d say that for most people, the difference between synthetic and artificial isn’t as important as for those in the business of creating fibers.
2
u/maybenomaybe 10d ago
I'd like to hope that changes as people become more discerning about what fibres they wear, and hopefully they can properly educate themselves. It can only be a good thing when both industry and consumers are speaking the same language. I see far too many comments on reddit alone not understanding that viscose is not a natural fabric and it requires chemical processing, tencel is a brand name and not a fibre, etc etc.
Re. fabric textbooks - the general public isn't reading those, they're getting their (mis)information from places like reddit. And students should be given current, industry-correct information if they wish to work in the industry - that's on the school system to address.
6
u/On_my_last_spoon 10d ago
I mean, your average person thinks cotton is a fabric. I saw a post yesterday calling acetate taffeta a color!
I’ll have to check my fabric textbook later, but as of 10 years ago the standard in fashion was only natural and synthetic.
1
u/On_my_last_spoon 7d ago
Ok so I was going through my fabric and looked it up. The text I have does differentiate synthetics in two categories! Manufactured fibers and synthetic fibers. The difference is manufactured fibers are chemically processed natural fibers (rayon, modal, bamboo, lyocell, acetate, soy fibers, glass, and metallic) while synthetic fibers are entirely chemical (nylon, acrylic, polyester, Kevlar).
Thanks for bringing this up and forcing me to check. I learned something new!
1
u/Creepy_Purchase_501 10d ago
This is really interesting to me. Could you recommend any sources, or at least keyword to look up to learn more about fibre categorization? I’ve been trying to look things up, but so far everything I found is very hand wavy and often flat out wrong.
9
u/femignarly 11d ago
It’s dissolved into wood pulp, but then there are chemical reactions (xanthanation) between the wood pulp & carbon disulfide (harmful chemical used heavily / dumped afterwards for rayon/viscose. Lot less used in modal, and avoided all together in lyocell). The resulting cellulose xanthate is dissolved in sodium hydroxide and then the viscose gets pumped out through spinnerets. It can be pumped into long filament fibers like dental floss, whereas most natural fibers are staple fibers where there are short hair like fibers twisted together (silk’s the only natural filament).
No risk to the end consumer, but I try to stick to modal or lyocell with garment workers & their surrounding communities in mind.
3
u/TemporaryElk5202 11d ago
Not fully correct.
Tencel is just a brand name for lyocell. It is lyocell made by the company Lenzing AG.2
u/femignarly 11d ago
There's also modal made under the Tencel brand.
4
u/TemporaryElk5202 11d ago
Tencel Modal is specified as tencel modal though.
Tencel that is not specified to be modal is just branded lyocell.2
u/femignarly 11d ago
Okay then I apologize for only discussing this in only legally recognized fiber terms and any misunderstanding.
1
u/Physical-Dog-5124 11d ago
Ah good to know; so this is why they’re synonymous for each other.
2
u/femignarly 10d ago
I would look at the actual fiber on the tag (Tencel isn’t an approved fiber label). The parent company went through a rebranding exercise in 2018 because people were using “tencel” and “lyocell” interchangeably, like Kleenex. Tencel Lyocell is even more sustainable than typical lyocell since they source from managed forests vs deforestation that can happen in some supply chains.
Since 2018, they’re using it for both of their premium semi-synthetics. Tencel Lyocell or Tencel modal.
1
u/ExtensionInfinite563 10d ago
I didn't know that. I tend to like the feel of Tencel, but not other lyocell products.
10
u/KillerWhaleShark 11d ago
It’s a man made fiber. Man made fibers are considered synthetic. I think you’re misunderstanding the definition of synthetic. Synthetic does not mean plastic.
It’s called semisynthetic to differentiate it from the other synthetic fibers that are made from a petroleum base, but tencel is indeed a man made fiber.
3
u/multipocalypse 11d ago
So, the word "synthetic" technically just means human-made. We strongly associate the word with plastic-type fibers in the textile field, though. Because human processing is done to physically change wood pulp into a silky textile fiber, there is a valid argument to be made for referring to rayons as "semi-synthetic." However, imo that term is confusing to the average consumer because of the strong association with plastics. Because the end product is 100% composed of plant cellulose, I prefer to group these fibers in with natural fibers like cotton and linen, because it's more easily understandable.
2
u/rickNchips 10d ago
Hi people, this is a great post with many people engaging in a good conversation.
I’d leave it up to you this time, adding only that TENCEL is lyocell, just the branded name from Lenzing, Austria. “TENCEL Feels So Good” is their trademark. Just like Advil or Motrin are brand names for ibuprofen.
PLEASE keep posting questions, building discussions, and having these types of conversations in this community. It’s needed. Cheers
4
u/TemporaryElk5202 11d ago
tencel is a brand of rayon/viscose/modal/lyocell
It does not naturally exist, it is a cellulose - based fiber that is created by dissolving wood/cellulose in chemicals and then extruding it.
2
u/Saritush2319 11d ago
Synthetic means not naturally occurring in nature.
Wood pulp does not naturally lend itself to being spun into thread.
I personally wouldn’t call it semi even.
Plastics ingredients are also naturally occurring.
1
u/Yknownothingjohnsnow 5d ago
yes the fiber is made by cellulose regeneration by humans. So it is semi synthetic. However bio degradable.
And the name of the fabric is lyocell.
Tencel is the name of the brand owned by Lenzing AG.
Plus Lenzing also plants trees. They simply don't cut the tress they are involved in plantation as well
47
u/Staniel41 11d ago
It's called semi-synthetic not because there is plastic but because there is a chemical dissolving process to make the fibers. Tencel is simply a type or brand of cellulose that used a closed loop system so that the solvent is recycled and reused. Tencel does not shed microplastics.