Do you know where viscose comes from?
Viscose is an artificial chemical material, made from regenerated cellulose from plants such as cotton or bamboo. This chemical process for transforming natural fibres was invented by a Frenchman: Hilaire de Chardonnet. In 1884, he tried to imitate silk, replacing silkworms with plant cellulose taken from wood pulp.
Today viscose is very widespread in the textile industry: it's a clothing staple. An estimated 99 million tonnes of wood pulp are used every year worldwide to produce viscose! You'll find it in T-shirts as much as in trousers, dresses or skirts… It's a very versatile material!
We prefer Tencel®.
Why replace natural fibres with artificial ones?
Some natural fibres give a rather rough, thick fabric that isn't very pleasant to the touch. Viscose transforms plant cellulose to recreate artificial fibres that are much softer, finer and smoother. The fabric made from this material, viscose (also called artificial silk or rayon), is very fluid, shiny, soft, fine and pleasant to wear for sensitive skin. It gives a very clingy, flowing result for dresses or T-shirts, for example. Viscose fabrics are very hard-wearing and they also hold colour well. They stand up to repeated washing better than natural fibres, which can fade. For those of us in a hurry, this very fluid fabric hardly creases and rarely needs ironing!
But viscose also has a few drawbacks compared with natural fibres. Artificial viscose fibres don't absorb moisture and don't retain heat. So they aren't suited to winter clothes or technical sportswear, and can be uncomfortable when you sweat.
A chemical manufacturing process that pollutes and uses a lot of natural resources
Viscose is obtained through a chemical process that recreates artificial fibres from plant cellulose. All sorts of plant fibres can be used to make this artificial silk, from cotton to bamboo and eucalyptus. First, a mixture of sodium sulphate and citric acid is used to extract the plant cellulose from the natural fibres. Carbon disulphide is then used to turn this mixture into a plant pulp, which is then drawn into yarns and woven. The yarns are then cooled using sulphates that set the fibres.
This chemical process therefore has a significant negative environmental impact:
- Firstly, citric acid and sodium sulphate are toxic chemicals that are often not recycled. In the developing countries where viscose is made, which have no chemical waste treatment, they are released into nature and rivers and pollute ecosystems.
- Carbon disulphide is toxic, flammable and highly volatile. It causes major air pollution.
Making artificial fibres also uses a lot of water and wastes a large share of the natural plants. In fact, it takes about 1kg of natural fibres to obtain 400g of regenerated viscose fibres, which contributes to deforestation. In terms of health and social impact, the workers in these factories face a chemical environment every day, which can prove toxic and seriously affect their health if they aren't properly equipped. Finally, the chemical inputs used during manufacturing end up in the viscose fibres and in the finished product, in constant contact with the wearer's skin.
Ethical, eco-friendly viscose in our wardrobes soon?
Despite a polluting and questionable manufacturing process, viscose is still widely used, including by fashion brands calling themselves "ethical and eco-friendly". Viscose fabrics do look and feel very nice and have many advantages, but how can this be reconciled with environmental standards?
Some viscoses are made from bamboo or eucalyptus pulp from sustainably managed forests with PEFE-FSE or FSC certification. This certifies that the plant source respects the environment and people's work. However, its transformation process is still polluting.
The best alternative?
Tencel (or lyocell) is a cellulose fibre just like viscose, but its "viscose" manufacturing process is patented and recycles 99% of the caustic soda used in the chemical process. Indeed, "chemical" and "artificial" don't necessarily mean pollution and toxicity, and more and more ethical, responsible producers are working to make the viscose process more environmentally friendly.
If you're looking for lovely viscose pieces, take a look at Thinking Mu: the ethical brand offers viscose tops and other sustainable materials, as well as skirts, dresses and blouses in colourful prints.
Also discover our range of eco-friendly women's clothing and our eco-friendly men's clothing.
