Lenzing produces pulp and regenerated cellulose fibers (viscose, modal, lyocell) from wood based on the biorefinery principle.
Lenzing Aktiengesellschaft
Lenzing an der Ager (AT) · Heiligenkreuz (AT) · Paskov (CZ) · Indianópolis (BR) · Purwakarta (ID) · Prachinburi (TH) · Axis/Mobile, AL (US) · Grimsby (GB)New on Amplifa
About Lenzing
Lenzing Aktiengesellschaft, headquartered in Lenzing on the Ager river (Upper Austria), has been producing regenerated cellulose fibers from the renewable raw material wood for over 80 years. In a two-stage process, fibrous cellulose (dissolving wood pulp) is first produced and then spun into viscose, modal and lyocell fibers; at the Lenzing site, all three fiber generations are produced, which is unique worldwide. The integrated biorefinery concept uses all wood components: in addition to pulp and fibers, co-products such as biobased acetic acid, furfural, sodium sulphate, soda ash and magnesium lignosulfonate are created. With nine production sites in Europe, Asia and America, Lenzing supplies the textile, nonwovens and industrial sectors – from apparel and home textiles to hygiene and medical products, automotive interiors, packaging and battery separators. The fibers are marketed under the brands TENCEL™, VEOCEL™, LENZING™ ECOVERO™ and LENZING™. At the Lenzing site, around 800,000 t of wood are processed annually, of which 320,000 t of dissolving pulp and 358,000 t of fibers (74,000 t lyocell, 284,000 t viscose/modal).
- Site
- Lenzing an der Ager
- Processes
- Lyocell fiber production (wet spinning from NMMO solution), Viscose fiber production (xanthogenation, wet spinning), Modal fiber production, Lyocell filament yarn production, Dissolving wood pulp production (digestion, washing, screening, TCF bleaching), Biorefinery / co-product production (acetic acid, furfural, magnesium lignosulphonate, soda ash), Textile recycling / REFIBRA™ technology (recycling of cotton textile waste into viscose fibers), Biorefinery co-products (acetic acid, furfural, sodium sulphate, soda ash, magnesium lignosulfonate)
- Materials
- Spruce wood, Cellulose, Dissolving wood pulp, N-Methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO), Recycled cotton (textile waste), Acetic acid (biobased), Furfural (biobased), Magnesium lignosulphonate (biobased)
- Certificates
- EcoVadis Platinum, FSC™/PEFC-certified wood sourcing
- Founded
- 1890
- Industries
- Textile industry (apparel, home textiles, protective clothing), Nonwovens industry (hygiene, medical, personal care), Automotive interior, Packaging, Industrial/Engineered products (e.g. battery separators), Chemical industry (co-products, food/pharmaceutical/cosmetics industry)
- 01
Wood sourcing (certified, FSC™/PEFC)
- 02
Pulp production (digestion, washing, screening, TCF bleaching)
- 03
Biorefinery (co-products, bioenergy)
- 04
Fiber production (lyocell/viscose/modal, wet spinning)
- 05
Refinement & fiber technologies (REFIBRA™, Micro)
- 06
Sales & application development
Raw Materials, Processes & Products
Spruce wood
Raw material for dissolving wood pulp production at the Paskov site.
Dissolving wood pulp
Intermediate product from wood, basis for all fiber generations.
N-Methylmorpholine-N-oxide
Solvent in the closed loop of lyocell production (approx. 99.8% recovery).
Lyocell fiber (TENCEL™, VEOCEL™)
Third generation of regenerated fibers, dissolved directly from pulp in NMMO and wet-spun.
Viscose fiber (LENZING™ ECOVERO™)
Classic regenerated fiber via xanthogenation, versatile in textile and nonwovens applications.
Modal fiber
Further development of viscose with high wet strength.
LENZING™ Acetic Acid Biobased
Biobased co-product for the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries.
LENZING™ Furfural Biobased
Basic material for furfuryl alcohol and solvents in various industries.
LENZING™ Sodium Sulphate
Co-product of viscose/modal production for the detergent and glass industries.
LENZING™ Soda Ash
Sodium carbonate granulate for the glass as well as pulp and paper industries.
LENZING™ Magnesium-Lignosulphonate Biobased
Liquid co-product used as an auxiliary in the animal feed, ceramics and construction industries.
LENZING™ Hemilye
Caustic soda with dissolved hemicellulose for yield enhancement in paper production.
Sites
Lenzing an der Ager
ATHeadquarters, production (pulp, viscose, modal, lyocell), R&D center
- Materials
- Dissolving pulp, lyocell, viscose, modal, biorefinery co-products
- Biorefinery
- Lyocell production plant (since 2014)
- Viscose/modal production
- Power-to-heat plant (14 MW)
- Photovoltaic system
Heiligenkreuz
ATLyocell fiber production
- Materials
- Lyocell
- 3 lyocell production lines
- 2 power plants
- Biomass power plant (taken over in 2023)
Paskov
CZDissolving pulp production (biorefinery) · Shared Services
- Materials
- Dissolving pulp
- Biorefinery
Indianópolis
BRDissolving pulp production (LD Celulose S.A., JV with Suzano)
- Materials
- Dissolving pulp
- Dissolving pulp plant (largest in the world, production start 2022)
Purwakarta
IDFiber production (PT. South Pacific Viscose)
- Materials
- Viscose
Prachinburi
THLyocell fiber production
- Materials
- Lyocell
- Lyocell production plant (2022, 100,000 t/year)
Axis (Mobile, AL)
USFiber production (Lenzing Fibers Inc.)
Grimsby
GBFiber production (Lenzing Fibers Grimsby Ltd.)
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lyocell fiber production (wet spinning from NMMO solution)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Cellulose (wood pulp), Cotton residues (alternative cellulose source), NMMO solvent |
| Viscose fiber production (xanthogenation, wet spinning)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Dissolving pulp, Caustic soda, Carbon disulfide |
| Modal fiber productionPlastics | – | – | – | – | Dissolving pulp |
| Lyocell filament yarn productionPlastics | – | – | – | – | Cellulose (lyocell) |
| Dissolving wood pulp production (digestion, washing, screening, TCF bleaching)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Wood (mainly spruce), Beech |
| Biorefinery / co-product production (acetic acid, furfural, magnesium lignosulphonate, soda ash)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Wood components, Thin liquor (process residues) |
| Textile recycling / REFIBRA™ technology (recycling of cotton textile waste into viscose fibers)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Pre-/post-consumer cotton textile waste, Pulp |
5 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lyocell fiber production line | Lenzing | 3 | – | – | Heiligenkreuz, Austria |
| Lyocell fiber production plant | Lenzing | – | 100,000 t lyocell fiber/year | 2022 | Prachinburi, Thailand |
| Biomass power plant | – | 1 | – | 2023 | Heiligenkreuz, Austria |
| Power-to-heat plant (14 MW) | – | 1 | 14 MW | 2026 | Lenzing, Austria |
| Dissolving pulp plant (largest in the world) | LD Celulose (Lenzing/Suzano JV) | 1 | – | 2022 | Indianópolis, Brazil |
Additional services
Quality & Sustainability
Lenzing has been rated Platinum status by EcoVadis; over 99% of wood and pulp inputs are covered by recognized certification systems such as FSC™ and PEFC. Production takes place in closed-loop systems with high recovery of process chemicals (e.g. approx. 99.8% NMMO) and site-specific wastewater treatment plants.
| Evidence | Lenzing an der Ager | Heiligenkreuz | Paskov | Indianópolis | Purwakarta | Prachinburi | Axis (Mobile, AL) | Grimsby |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EcoVadis Platinum | ||||||||
| FSC™/PEFC-certified wood sourcing |
History
- 1890
Emil Hamburger acquires the 'Starlingermühle' in Lenzing.
- 1947/48
'Zellwolle Lenzing AG' founded as an important raw material supplier.
- 1965
Market launch of the first 'high wet modulus' fiber (precursor of modal fibers).
- 1969
Acquisition of the neighboring pulp and paper mill; consolidation into an integrated production site; development of the biorefinery concept.
- 1975
Establishment of the first environmental department; construction of exhaust gas cleaning systems and Austria's largest wastewater treatment plant.
- 1983
South Pacific Viscose begins fiber production in Indonesia; the Paskov paper pulp mill goes into operation.
- 1984/85
Renaming to 'Lenzing AG' (1984) and stock exchange listing in Vienna (1985).
- 1997
Commissioning of the first commercial-scale lyocell production plant in Heiligenkreuz.
- 2004
Acquisition of the TENCEL™ brand; new production sites in Mobile (USA) and Grimsby (UK).
- 2007
Start of the first viscose fiber plant in Nanjing (China).
- 2010
Acquisition of Biocel Paskov (Czech Republic).
- 2014
Commissioning of the first lyocell production plant at the Lenzing site.
- 2017
Launch of LENZING™ ECOVERO™ and REFIBRA™ technology; TENCEL™ LUXE filament yarn.
- 2018
Start of LENZING™ ECOVERO™ production in Nanjing.
- 2019
First wood-based fiber producer with scientifically validated climate targets; Innovation Center in Indonesia.
- 2020
First carbon-neutral TENCEL™ lyocell and modal fibers.
- 2021
First carbon-neutral VEOCEL™ lyocell fibers; cooperation with Södra; founding of Lenzing Business Services.
- 2022
Production start of the world's largest dissolving pulp mill in Indianópolis (Brazil); opening of the world's largest lyocell production plant in Prachinburi (Thailand).
- 2023
Modernization of the sites in China and Indonesia; capital increase of approx. EUR 400 million.
- 2024
Suzano S/A acquires 15% of Lenzing AG; new, scientifically validated climate targets.