Lenzing and leading Chinese home textiles brand LUOLAI have announced a first-of-its-kind collaboration to enable fiber and application innovation within the home textiles segment. Combining the expertise of LUOLAI’s R&D center and Lenzing’s Application Innovation Center, this R&D strategic collaboration facilitates resource sharing, technology exchange and market cooperation, particularly towards the advancement of LUOLAI’s key SuperSoft technology, while also increasing the use of Lenzing's planet friendly materials. Lenzing, recognized for TENCEL™ Lyocell and Modal fibers that are certified with the EU Ecolabel for environmental excellence[1], will also be a key material partner of LUOLAI under the collaboration.

“I am delighted to witness the collaboration between LUOLAI and Lenzing,” said Harold Weghorst, Global Vice President of Marketing and Branding at Lenzing. “Through this partnership on innovation, sustainability and branding, not only can we develop exceptional solutions that exceed the expectations of our consumers, but we can also offer unique and exciting new products.”

A market leader of home textiles products in China, LUOLAI has spanned a multi-enterprise in R&D, design, manufacturing, and sales. At the core of this lies a commitment to addressing consumer needs – of which, comfort and softness top the list. LUOLAI’s partnership with Lenzing will continue to propel this commitment to its next step.

“We have high expectations toward this strategic partnership as we believe Lenzing and LUOLAI will excel and grow together,” said Rex Mok, Vice President of Fiber Technical Marketing and Development at Lenzing. “With the SuperSoft technology, we hope to reduce the use of softeners in production. Having a shared core belief of being environmentally responsible, we also would like to work with LUOLAI in educating the market and consumers to raise awareness.”

“We are confident that our partnership with LUOLAI will help achieve a goal in optimizing end-user experience for their customers, delivering the natural softness and smooth touch that our fibers, such as TENCEL™ Lyocell, are known for[2],” said Juliana Li, Business Development Manager, Home & Interior Textile at Lenzing. “With our expertise and experience in producing specialty fibers across several textile applications including home and interiors, we believe this partnership presents an ideal pairing to deliver innovative and environmentally responsible[3] home products.”

The collaboration will focus on incorporating LUOLAI’s SuperSoft technology into the existing home textile products, as well as LUOLAI’s upcoming fall/winter bedding collections.

“The integration of LUOLAI’s SuperSoft technology requires meticulous coordination among all stages of the textile value chain, from materials, processes to finishing,” said Dr. Hui Zhang, Head of Luolai Super Soft Research Institute. “Therefore, as we look to apply the technology to products across categories, from bedding to loungewear, Lenzing will be an integral fiber partner. We look forward to our close collaboration to co-create innovative products that are perfect for the positioning of SuperSoft, and that offer ultimate comfort to our consumers.”

The combined R&D efforts also hope to support LUOLAI’s expansion into new categories such as children’s products, towels and curtains. As for measuring the softness of products, the home textiles manufacturer has acquired different testing equipment, establishing quality control standards to measure the softness of its home textile products.

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^{[1] EU Ecolabel for textile products (license no. AT/016/001)}

^{[2]Under a microscope, TENCEL™ fibers exhibit a smooth surface, which gives fabrics a pleasant softness. Additionally, the soft fibers bring fluidity to fabrics to make them drape beautifully.}

^{[3] TENCEL™ Lyocell and Modal fiber production processes are continuously refined to maximize resource efficiency and minimize environmental impact. Consequently, carbon emissions and water consumption of TENCEL™ fibers are at least 50% lower compared to generic lyocell and modal fibers, according to Higg MSI. Results are based on LCA standards (ISO 14040/44) and available via Higg MSI (Version 3.6).}