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Material Guide: Man-Made Cellulosic Fibres—the Plant-Derived Fabric Group With Sustainability Potential

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15 Aug, 2024

This post was originally published on Good on You

Man-made cellulosic fibres such as viscose, Lyocell, cupro, and modal are made from trees, but that doesn’t necessarily make them sustainable. In fact, their manufacturing can contribute to deforestation and chemical release if not managed properly. Here, we explore how man-made cellulosics are made and what their impact is.

 

What does man-made cellulosic fibre mean?

Man-made cellulosic fibres are a diverse group of materials made from the raw material cellulose. They’re often abbreviated to MMCFs and sometimes dubbed “semi-synthetics”. The cellulosic base material used to make these fibres usually comes in the form of dissolving wood pulp (DWP) derived from trees, but can also be made with other materials such as agricultural and textile waste.

The most common MMCFs are viscose (rayon)—which has roughly 80% of the MMCF market shareLyocell, cupro, bamboo, and modal. The main differences between these materials are the plants or trees (sometimes called feedstocks in the industry) used to produce them, and their properties. Modal, for instance, is mainly made from beech wood and used in stretchy jersey form for t-shirts and casualwear. Lyocell is commonly made from eucalyptus feedstocks and is used in a variety of products including underwear and soft denim. It’s manufactured by several companies under various names, with the best known being Lenzing AG’s TENCEL Lyocell. Some Lyocell fibres are made from other feedstocks such as bamboo, or even a combination of eucalyptus and seaweed powder—as seen in Smartfiber AG’s Seacell.

 

How are they made?

Manufacturing MMCFs varies between each material, but the general process is the same, and it involves turning trees or other cellulosic feedstocks into textiles.

Here’s an overview of how it happens: First, the cellulosic raw material is prepared. Most often this involves trees being processed into wood chippings, which are then dissolved using heat and chemicals. The resulting substance is bleached, formed into a sheet, dried, and packaged in bales or rolls depending on its intended use. For textiles, the cellulose undergoes even more chemical processing to achieve a substance that can be spun into fibre filaments, which can later be made into yarn or thread.

But since these steps often happen at different locations, mapping the entire supply chain of MMCFs and ensuring they’re sustainable can be really complex.

 

The link between man-made cellulosic fibres and deforestation

Since MMCFs are most commonly derived from plants, it’s easy to assume that natural equals renewable and therefore more sustainable. But demand for MMCFs has reached such a high that vast swathes of trees are being cut down to meet it. Estimates vary depending on the date they were made, but environmental NGO Canopy puts the number of trees cut down annually at 300 million.

Forests are being transformed into plantations for cellulose production on a huge scale, and that’s leading to the creation of monocultures, significant biodiversity loss, a reduction in carbon sinks, the destruction of Indigenous communities’ land, and the degradation of important ancient and endangered forests.

Greenpeace reports that two of the world’s largest pulp companies are linked to deforestation and the destruction of tropical forests that are home to endangered species. And if they’re not managed properly, the hazardous chemicals used in a lot of MMCF manufacturing can contaminate local ecosystems and threaten species.

Many consumers aren’t aware that forest fibres are used in fashion, so they’re not armed with the information and certifications to look out for when shopping. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) both certify forest-derived products that are made with materials that support responsible forestry, while Canopy’s Hot Button Report ranks the world’s biggest viscose producers on their progress in eliminating wood from ancient forests from their supply chain. Good On You takes this reporting into account when we’re rating brands. Canopy also partners with fashion brands that commit to developing next-generation MMCF alternatives and strongly advocating for forest conservation. And the organisation’s founder, Nicole Rycroft, recently offered some positive news to The Guardian: “In the last seven years, more than half of global viscose producers have shifted away from high-risk forest-sourcing towards FSC-certified forest fibre and low-carbon next-gen alternatives.”

Another issue that consumers aren’t always aware of is the use of chemicals in the MMCF supply chain and the impact they have on workers and the environment.

 

Chemicals in man-made cellulosic fibre manufacturing

MMCFs may be plant-derived but significant chemicals and processing are required to transform wood into fabric—though it’s worth noting that the level of chemicals involved depends on the exact material. Some of the toxic chemicals used in MMCF production (and that can be released into the environment) include caustic soda, sulphuric acid, and carbon disulphide in viscose and modal manufacturing. Carbon disulphide has been linked to health problems in both textile workers and those who live near viscose factories—that’s why it’s so important for manufacturers to invest in chemical management and recovery.

To that end, the ZDHC has published a range of guidelines to address the use and discharge of hazardous chemicals in wastewater, sludge, waste, and air emissions in MMCF manufacturing. The guidelines don’t yet cover the dissolving pulp process, but they offer a roadmap to improving a problem that must be addressed as we move towards a more sustainable fashion industry.

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Are man-made cellulosic fibres sustainable?

MMCFs have the potential to be a more sustainable material, but this is strongly dependent on eliminating deforestation and reducing harmful chemicals from the supply chain—or at the very least managing them safely. And technically, MMCFs are biodegradable, but the application of dyes, finishes, and treatments could affect the fibre’s biodegradability, not to mention that they could leach chemicals into the environment as they break down, so it’s important to check for certifications of biodegradability before disposing of products or materials.

The sector is also heavily reliant on virgin raw materials in the form of trees, but using feedstocks derived from waste materials such as recycled textiles could help to lessen its impact. At the moment though, uptake on MMCFs derived from recycled feedstocks is low—they represented just 0.5% of global fibre market share in 2021, according to Textile Exchange.

Is Lyocell a lower-impact option?

The process for most MMCFs is typically very chemical-intensive and often results in their release into the environment, and in them causing harm to those through the supply chain. But the manufacture of Lyocell fibres uses the NMMO solvent process instead—it means that the chemical N-Methylmorpholine N-Oxide is more easily recoverable than other types, and, combined with a closed-loop system, results in almost no solvent being dumped into the environment as it continues to be reused. One of the most prominent Lyocell manufacturers, Lenzing AG, says the solvent recovery rate for its TENCEL Lyocell is 99%, and it also recycles the process water. So while this is certainly an improvement on other MMCF chemical processes, it’s important to keep in mind that the process is still energy-intensive and could still contribute to deforestation—though TENCEL Lyocell is made using wood from certified sources.

TENCEL has also developed Lyocell with REFIBRA, which uses a feedstock made partly from dissolving wood pulp from trees, and partly cellulose from textile waste. The company explains: “The fibres contain a minimum of 30% recycled material, which is sourced from pre- and post-consumer waste. These cotton scraps could have otherwise entered landfills or been incinerated.”

Above all, it’s important to remember that materials and fibres in fashion are a complex issue, and every single material on the market today has some sort of trade-off and impact on the planet, so a mixture of preferred—or lower-impact—materials is needed going forward. If you’re interested in learning more about lower-impact materials, our ultimate clothing material guide is essential reading, and we’ve also got explainers on specific MMCFs, including viscose, modal, Lyocell, cupro, and bamboo.

The post Material Guide: Man-Made Cellulosic Fibres—the Plant-Derived Fabric Group With Sustainability Potential appeared first on Good On You.

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Turning down the heat: how innovative cooling techniques are tackling the rising costs of AI's energy demands

Turning down the heat: how innovative cooling techniques are tackling the rising costs of AI's energy demands

As enterprises accelerate their AI investments, the energy demand of AI’s power-hungry systems is worrying both the organisations footing the power bills as well as those tasked with supplying reliable electricity. From large language models to digital twins crunching massive datasets to run accurate simulations on complex city systems, AI workloads require a tremendous amount of processing power.

Of course, at the heart of this demand are data centres, which are evolving at breakneck speed to support AI’s growing potential. The International Energy Agency’s AI and Energy Special Report recently predicted that data centre electricity consumption will double by 2030, identifying AI as the most significant driver of this increase.1

The IT leaders examining these staggering predictions are rightly zeroing in on improving the efficiency of these powerful systems. However, the lack of expertise in navigating these intricate systems, combined with the rapidity of innovative developments, is causing heads to spin. Although savvy organisations are baking efficiency considerations into IT projects at the outset, and are looking across the entire AI life cycle for opportunities to minimise impact, many don’t know where to start or are leaving efficiency gains on the table. Most are underutilising the multiple IT efficiency levers that could be pulled to reduce the environmental footprint of their IT, such as using energy-efficient software languages and optimising data use to ensure maximum data efficiency of AI workloads. Among the infrastructure innovations, one of the most exciting advancements we are seeing in data centres is direct liquid cooling (DLC). Because the systems that are running AI workloads are producing more heat, traditional air cooling simply is not enough to keep up with the demands of the superchips in the latest systems.

DLC technology pumps liquid coolants through tubes in direct contact with the processors to dissipate heat and has been proven to keep high-powered AI systems running safely. Switching to DLC has had measurable and transformative impact across multiple environments, showing reductions in cooling power consumption by nearly 90% compared to air cooling in supercomputing systems2.

Thankfully, the benefits of DLC are now also extending beyond supercomputers to reach a broader range of higher-performance servers that support both supercomputing and AI workloads. Shifting DLC from a niche offering to a more mainstream option available across more compute systems is enabling more organisations to tap into the efficiency gains made possible by DLC, which in some cases has been shown to deliver up to 65% in annual power savings3. Combining this kind of cooling innovation with new and improved power-use monitoring tools, able report highly accurate and timely insights, is becoming critical for IT teams wanting to optimise their energy use. All this is a welcome evolution for organisations grappling with rising energy costs and that are carefully considering total cost of ownership (TCO) of their IT systems, and is an area of innovation to watch in the coming years.

In Australia, this kind of technical innovation is especially timely. In March 2024, the Australian Senate established the Select Committee on Adopting Artificial Intelligence to examine the opportunities and impacts of AI technologies4. Among its findings and expert submissions was a clear concern about the energy intensity of AI infrastructure. The committee concluded that the Australian Government legislate for increased regulatory clarity, greater energy efficiency standards, and increased investment in renewable energy solutions. For AI sustainability to succeed, it must be driven by policy to set actionable standards, which then fuel innovative solutions.

Infrastructure solutions like DLC will play a critical role in making this possible — not just in reducing emissions and addressing the energy consumption challenge, but also in supporting the long-term viability of AI development across sectors. We’re already seeing this approach succeed in the real world. For example, the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre in Western Australia has adopted DLC technology to support its demanding research workloads and, in doing so, has significantly reduced energy consumption while maintaining the high performance required for AI and scientific computing. It’s a powerful example of how AI data centres can scale sustainably — and telegraphs an actionable blueprint for others to follow.

Furthermore, industry leaders are shifting how they handle the heat generated by these large computing systems in order to drive further efficiency in AI. Successfully using heat from data centres for other uses will be a vital component to mitigating both overall energy security risks and the efficiency challenges that AI introduces. Data centres are being redesigned to capture by-product heat and use it as a valuable resource, rather than dispose of it as waste heat. Several industries are already benefiting from capturing data centre heat, such as in agriculture for greenhouses, or heating buildings in healthcare and residential facilities. This has been successfully implemented in the UK with the Isambard-AI supercomputer and in Finland with the LUMI supercomputer — setting the bar for AI sustainability best practice globally.

The message is clear: as AI becomes a bigger part of digital transformation projects, so too must the consideration for resource-efficient solutions grow. AI sustainability considerations must be factored into each stage of the AI life cycle, with solutions like DLC playing a part in in a multifaceted IT sustainability blueprint.

By working together with governments to set effective and actionable environmental frameworks and benchmarks, we can encourage the growth and evolution of the AI industry, spurring dynamic innovation in solutions and data centre design for the benefit of all.

1. AI is set to drive surging electricity demand from data centres while offering the potential to transform how the energy sector works – News – IEA
2. https://www.hpe.com/us/en/newsroom/blog-post/2024/08/liquid-cooling-a-cool-approach-for-ai.html
3. HPE introduces next-generation ProLiant servers engineered for advanced security, AI automation and greater performance
4. https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Adopting_Artificial_Intelligence_AI

Image credit: iStock.com/Dragon Claws

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