Brands & technologies · Feedstock technology

REFIBRA™

Q: How much recycled content does REFIBRA contain?

Lenzing started at about 20% recycled cotton pulp in 2017 and now describes 30% or more for TENCEL lyocell with REFIBRA, the rest being wood pulp. The share in a finished garment is lower if the fiber is blended with other materials.

Feedstock technology · understand the name behind the label.

Reviewed 2026-09-22. Evidence level: verified. Open the interactive profile.

Key figures

Owner: Lenzing AG
Generic fibers produced: Lyocell or viscose
Launched: 2017
Recycled pulp share (producer): started at about 20%, later about 30%
Remaining input: wood-based dissolving pulp

Approximate values under the stated conditions.

Overview

Lenzing technology that incorporates recovered cellulose inputs into selected fiber products. The actual recycled share depends on the product.

Feel and behavior

Depends on the specified fiber grade, yarn and fabric construction.

Where you find it

See the linked underlying material and the producer’s product-specific documentation.

Source and geography

REFIBRA is a Lenzing AG technology name, not a fiber. It denotes Lenzing's route for converting cotton scraps into pulp that is blended with wood pulp and spun into TENCEL lyocell, and later into LENZING ECOVERO viscose. The generic fiber in a REFIBRA product is therefore lyocell or viscose. Lenzing describes the cotton inputs as pre-consumer offcuts from garment making and, increasingly, post-consumer cotton textiles.

Advantages

It returns cotton cutting scraps and some post-consumer cotton to fiber production instead of landfill or incineration.
The finished fiber behaves like standard lyocell or viscose, so mills can use it without changing processes.
It reduces the wood pulp needed per tonne of fiber by the recycled share.
Lenzing's fiber identification allows branded content to be checked in finished goods.

Drawbacks

Most of the fiber is still wood pulp, so 'recycled' claims can overstate the circular share.
Recycled share is diluted again when the fiber is blended with other materials in the garment.
Cotton waste with polyester, elastane or heavy finishes is hard to use, which limits the feedstock.
Recycled content cannot be detected chemically; buyers rely on documentation.

Worth knowing

A garment with 30% REFIBRA lyocell whose fiber holds 30% recycled pulp contains only about 9% recycled cotton overall.
REFIBRA started with pre-consumer cotton scraps from garment cutting rooms and later added post-consumer cotton textiles.

Types, grades and fabrics

Types and grades

REFIBRA is not sold as a fiber on its own; it is a technology tag applied to other Lenzing fibers. The two product families are TENCEL Lyocell with REFIBRA technology, where Lenzing now describes recycled cotton pulp content of 30% or more, and LENZING ECOVERO viscose made with REFIBRA technology. The recycled share has risen since the 2017 launch (from about 20%) and the input mix has shifted from pre-consumer cutting scraps toward including post-consumer cotton garments. There are no separate grades by strength or denier beyond those of the host fiber, so a buyer specifies the lyocell or viscose type first and the REFIBRA content second.

Fabrics and products

REFIBRA lyocell appears in the same places as TENCEL lyocell: denim, shirting, knit tops, bedding and towels, often in blends with cotton or recycled cotton. REFIBRA viscose is used in fluid dress fabrics, jersey and printed wovens. Because the recycled content is inside the fiber and the finished fabric is often blended, a garment that says 'made with REFIBRA' may contain a modest overall recycled share. Brands have used it mainly in capsule collections and denim lines that advertise circular content.

Buying and care

How to judge quality

Check that the label gives the generic fiber (lyocell or viscose) and, if a recycled claim is made, a percentage for the whole product. Ask the brand what share of the lyocell or viscose is recycled pulp and what share of the garment that fiber represents; a garment of 30% REFIBRA lyocell with 30% recycled pulp contains only about 9% recycled cotton. Documentation such as transaction certificates under a recycled-content standard and Lenzing's fiber identification can support the claim. Fabric quality is judged exactly as for lyocell or viscose: even surface, low pilling, clean seams.

Care in detail

Care follows the host fiber. For REFIBRA lyocell: wash at 30 to 40 C on a gentle cycle, inside out, with mild detergent, avoid overloading to limit fibrillation, and iron at medium heat (about 150 C) while slightly damp. For REFIBRA viscose: wash cold to 30 C, do not wring, dry flat or hanging, and iron on medium on the reverse. Both are cellulose, so avoid chlorine bleach and store dry to prevent mildew. Recycled content does not change care needs. Where the garment is a blend with elastane or polyester, the most heat-sensitive component and the label set the limits.

Care at a glance

Follow the finished product’s care label. A trademark does not specify the care needs of every blend or construction.

Environmental and social footprint

Lenzing presents REFIBRA as reducing virgin wood demand and diverting cotton waste, which follows logically from replacing part of the pulp; the size of any net benefit depends on the energy and chemicals used to purify colored, finished cotton waste, which Lenzing reports in its own life-cycle data. No independent peer-reviewed life-cycle study specific to REFIBRA was found for this entry. General evidence for regenerated cellulose applies: a 2019 NC State study found rayon microfibers biodegraded in aerobic aquatic tests while polyester microfibers persisted. Recycled-content claims in the US fall under the FTC Green Guides (16 CFR Part 260), which expect claims to be qualified and substantiated. Chain-of-custody standards such as Textile Exchange's Content Claim Standard exist to carry such claims through the supply chain.

Tradeoffs

Producer claims apply to defined products and comparisons. This atlas does not independently certify performance, sourcing or environmental claims.

A useful question to ask: Which exact grade, composition and current producer documentation apply to this product?

Science

Data sheet

Property	Value	Conditions	Source
Recycled cotton pulp share	about 20 at launch; 30 or more now %	share of pulp in TENCEL lyocell with REFIBRA technology; producer data (launch share about 20% per Lenzing's 2017 announcement)	[2]

Manufactured cellulose family

Regenerated cellulose or a cellulose derivative, depending on the fiber.

Structure and chemistry

The finished fiber is regenerated cellulose (cellulose II) indistinguishable in chemistry from lyocell or viscose made only from wood. Cotton cellulose has a high degree of polymerization, but the pulping step shortens and purifies the chains to a range suitable for dissolution. What changes is the feedstock history, not the polymer. Residual dyes, finishes and non-cellulosic fibers such as polyester or elastane in the waste must be removed, because they would contaminate the spinning dope and weaken or discolor the fiber.

From source to yarn

As Lenzing describes it, cotton scraps are sorted, mechanically opened and chemically treated in a pulping step to remove dyes and other contaminants and produce a cellulose pulp. This recycled pulp is mixed with wood pulp and processed in the ordinary lyocell (NMMO direct dissolution) or viscose route. Lenzing states that production began in 2017 with about 20% recycled cotton pulp, later raised to about 30% combined pre- and post-consumer material, with the balance from wood. The share varies by product and should be confirmed for each lot.

Performance in use

Performance follows the underlying fiber: REFIBRA lyocell behaves like lyocell (good wet strength, moisture regain roughly 11%, fibrillation under wet abrasion) and REFIBRA viscose behaves like viscose. Lenzing presents the recycled content as not reducing quality at the stated blend levels. Because recycled cotton pulp and wood pulp are co-processed, any difference in dyeing, strength or hand should be judged by testing the actual yarn rather than assumed from the technology name.

How it is identified

No burn, microscopy or FTIR test can separate REFIBRA fiber from standard lyocell or viscose, since the polymer is identical. Burn behavior is that of cellulose (indicative only). Buyers should verify recycled content through transaction certificates and producer documentation. A common error is treating REFIBRA as a separate fiber type on a label.

History

Timeline

2017Lenzing launched REFIBRA technology, making lyocell from about 20% recycled cotton pulp, initially from pre-consumer cutting waste, plus wood pulp. [1]

REFIBRA has been associated with TENCEL lyocell and was extended to ECOVERO viscose. It identifies a technology rather than a separate generic fiber.

The deeper record

Lenzing introduced REFIBRA in 2017, describing TENCEL x REFIBRA as among the first commercially available cellulose fibers with chemically recycled content. The company first used post-industrial cutting waste, then increased the recycled share and began incorporating post-consumer cotton. It later extended the technology to ECOVERO viscose. REFIBRA emerged alongside other textile-to-textile cellulose efforts in Northern Europe, such as Renewcell's CIRCULOSE pulp, reflecting efforts to reduce wood demand and landfill of cotton waste.

Labeling and law

REFIBRA is a technology trademark and cannot replace the generic name. In the US, labels must state lyocell (a subclass of rayon) or rayon under the TFPIA and 16 CFR Part 303; in the EU, lyocell or viscose under Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011. Recycled-content statements are marketing claims that must be substantiated; any third-party recycled-content certification should be confirmed by certificate scope rather than assumed from the brand.

This describes what rules and standards cover. It is not legal advice; jurisdiction, product form and current rule text control.

Frequently asked

Is REFIBRA a fabric?

No. It is Lenzing's name for a technology that puts recycled cotton pulp into its lyocell and viscose fibers. The garment label still has to name the fiber, such as lyocell or viscose, and any recycled claim should state a percentage.

How much recycled content does REFIBRA contain?

Lenzing started at about 20% recycled cotton pulp in 2017 and now describes 30% or more for TENCEL lyocell with REFIBRA, the rest being wood pulp. The share in a finished garment is lower if the fiber is blended with other materials.

Can REFIBRA garments be recycled again?

In principle, cellulose fiber can be pulped again, and the same route that uses cotton waste could use lyocell waste. In practice, blends with polyester or elastane, dyes and finishes make recycling harder, and collection systems for post-consumer textiles are still limited.

Sources

Cite this page

Chaos. (2026). REFIBRA™. In Fibers of Earth: An independent textile atlas. https://www.hendrickresearch.com/fibers/materials/refibra/