Lyocell - A Poem

by Julia Roebuck

Lyocel is a fabric most commonly known,
As Tencel (its brand name) by those that own,
The Lenzig fibre brand making this fibre today,
It's recyclable and biodegradable, hooray!

It has a soft finish, packs lightly with ease,
And is made of wood pulp from eucalyptus trees,
A non toxic chemical called Amine Oxide,
Is used to break down the wood fibres inside,

This solvent amine oxide has two uses in the beginning,
To dissolve the cellulose and set the fibre after spinning,
Ninety nine percent of the chemical is always re-used,
To ensure the surrounding environment is not abused,

A spinneret device then comes into play,
Producing long fibres, which are dryed out like hay,
To be woven into cloth and used for many applications,
Not just for clothing but also medical situations,

This closed loop manufacture can also conserve,
Energy and water - precious resources to reserve,
The European Union thinks its such a success,
It gave the European Award for the Enviroment to the process,

Lyocel is absorbent, lustrous, drapes well and is splendid,
And also lends these qualities to the fabrics with which its blended,
This material is a winner, they aint playing us for clowns,
It's used by Patagonia, Jigsaw and Acne (stocked in Browns),

Production plant emissions into the air from smokestacks,
And wastewater are significantly lower, so relax!
In comparison to many other man-made fibre operations,
Switching to lyocel must be better for all nations?

However its only manufacture thats closed loop,
A sustainable fibre can only be better if it's used within a group,
Of changes made to the entire supply chain,
But it still leads me to one question:
Why aren't we using more of this again????!!