Lenzing Group organized a Sustainability Panel
Lenzing Group produces cellulose fibers of botanic origin from renewable wood sources with an environmentally responsible production process. The Group organized a Sustainability Panel during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Istanbul (MBFWI).
Sustainability problems, innovations and solutions in the textile industry were discussed in the panel with the contributions of Lenzing Turkey Middle East and Africa Business Development and Marketing Manager Hale Saraçoğlu, Amanda Johnston from The Sustainable Angle and Simone Seisl from Textile Exchange under the moderation of the brand ambassador Ferhan İstanbullu.
Hale Saraçoğlu: Textile industry produces 100 million tons of fiber every year
Lenzing Turkey Middle East and Africa Business Development and Marketing Manager Hale Saraçoğlu says that sustainability is one of the core strategies of Lenzing by adding,“Textile industry produces 100 million tons of fiber per year. Nearly 6.2% of this is man-made cellulose fibers coming from wood-based renewable raw materials. As Lenzing, we produce viscose, modal and lyocell fiber types on a commercial scale and follow environmentally friendly principles at raw material sourcing and production stages. TENCEL™ is our umbrella brand for our lyocell and modal fibers and one of our brand promises is sustainable production. Lenzing’s production is committed to very high environmental standards and sustainable management principles. Our fibers are biodegradable and compostable in soil and sea”, she explains. As one of the most sustainable companies in our industry, we have underscored this commitment with numerous international sustainability certifications for our business processes.
Amanda Johnston: Consumers have to read labels to raise their awareness
Amanda Johnston from The Sustainable Angle, a nonprofit organization that aims to minimize environmental impacts in production processes, points out to taking immediate actions for the world’s limited resources, “Today final consumers do shopping unconsciously. However, if they read the label of the products they purchase and knew where the fabric comes as well as the production conditions and the raw materials used, they would understand the impact of this process on environment and behave in a more conscious manner. Unfortunately, we use the world we are living carelessly. We take resources, make and waste products, consuming as if nothing will come to an end; however, we cannot go on like this. Here, we are anxious about the world resources and that is why we have to act without wasting time.”
Simone Seisl: Change will take place step by step
Simone Seisl from Textile Exchange, another nonprofit organization committed to sustainability in textile production, underlines the responsibilities of every single person from producer to consumer. Seisl says that the change will take place step by step, “We all are in the same boat when it comes to an important issue like global climate change and we don’t have the luxury to blame others. Of course we do not expect that anyone would change all of a sudden, but we need to act as a community to create a change and we have to take initiatives starting from today. For example, we all know how far the production of down feather may harm animals. As Textile Exchange, we cooperated with 80 brands in the last two years and played a role to improve the shelter conditions of the birds so that they are not harmed any more, thus increased the number of unharmed birds to 550 million. This is really a big success”, she adds.
Simone Seisl also points to the fact that Turkey is one of the most important players in global denim production and believes that in the future Turkey will also play an important role on the successful recycling of denim.
