The International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF), honours outstanding achievements and merits in the textile sector in two categories: "Sustainability & Innovation" and "International Cooperation". The two companies have been collaborating on developing wood-based textile pulp since 2011 and joined forces in textile recycling in 2021, making a decisive contribution to promoting the circular economy in the fashion industry.

“This award is proof of our successful collaboration with Lenzing and our shared ability to develop innovative solutions for a more sustainable future. We look forward to further advancing our collaboration and bringing about real change in the textile industry,” said Lotta Lyrå, President and CEO of Södra.

The OnceMore^® pulp from Södra, (jointly developed further by Lenzing and Södra), is subsequently used, among other things, as raw material to produce Lenzing fibers with Refibra™ technology. The OnceMore^® process makes it possible to process and recycle a blend of cotton and polyester.

ITMF paid particular tribute to the joint Life Treats project (Textile Recycling in Europe AT Scale), which was supported by an EU grant of EUR 10m under the LIFE 2022 program and aims to build a large-scale plant at Södra's Mörrum site in Sweden.

“We are very proud to receive this prestigious award together with our long-standing partner Södra. This is a recognition of our shared vision of creating a circular economy for textiles and reducing the negative impact of the textile industry on the environment,” said Stephan Sielaff, CEO of the Lenzing Group.

For more information on the ITMF Awards 2023, visit the ITMF website.