What is modal®?

What is modal?

Modal® is an eco-friendly material used in sustainable fashion for its strength, its softness and its low environmental impact. Modal was created by the same Austrian company behind Tencel® and Lenzing Eco Vero®: Lenzing.

It is made in a similar way to viscose, Tencel® or Lenzing Eco Vero®: wood cellulose (often beech) undergoes a chemical reaction with a solvent, up to 95% of which is then recovered and reused in other industries.

Modal's CO2 footprint is neutral, thanks to the carbon offsetting involved in regrowing the trees needed to make it.

Modal, the eco-friendly viscose

How is modal made?

What's the difference between Modal and Tencel?

Modal® and Tencel® are made in very similar ways, as both are viscose processes. There is, however, a real difference between the two materials, at the stage involving the solvent.

The solvent used to make Modal® is sodium sulphate, whereas Tencel® is treated with a natural, non-toxic solvent, N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO). With Modal®, up to 95% of the solvent is recovered and recycled in other industries, while over 99% of the NMMO can be recovered and fed back into the Tencel® manufacturing process.

Both textiles are therefore considered eco-friendly, but Tencel® can be seen as the more efficient material in terms of eco-responsible production.