SB'19 İstanbul Conference was held on 3-4 April 2019 at Fairmont Quasar Istanbul. Brands, business leaders and many guests from different industries joined the event, which focused on redesigning good life for consumers and the society.

The Lenzing Group joined two programs as a premier sponsor of the conference. The company is a world market leader in specialty fibers of botanic origin from wood raw material coming from sustainably managed forests. Lenzing AG Sustainability Integration Senior Manager Krishna Manda and Lenzing Turkey Marketing Manager Miray Demirer Acar made a presentation in the plenary session. Manda and Acar referred to environmental impacts of fashion industry, sharing Lenzing’s sustainable and eco-responsible production processes with the audience during their presentation named “Redesigning Fashion with Environmentally Friendly Materials”. Following this, Lenzing Turkey Business Development and Marketing Manager Hale Saraçoğlu talked about Lenzing’s innovations in the industry during the “Good Fashion & Apparel” panel in Deep-Dive Hubs session.

Miray Demirer Acar: We are focusing on raising awareness of consumers to make environmentally responsible choices.

Lenzing Turkey & MEA Marketing & Branding Manager Miray Demirer Acar draw attention to the fact that the environmental impacts of apparel industry touch consumers increasingly day by day. “As a fiber producer, we saw that we can take one step ahead of meeting the transparency expectations of consumers in apparel industry. At Lenzing, thanks to our special production systems, we made it possible to detect Lenzing ECOVERO™ Viscose fibers or TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers developed by REFIBRA™ technology in any garment even after long textile treatments. We wanted people to make sure and feel good that they made an environmentally friendly choice when they see the contents of their garments. If you follow sustainable fashion, one of the things you have to do is paying attention to the care label of your clothes,” says Acar and explains: "Besides conscious users, there are also a group of sensitive consumers looking for guidance about how they should act. Therefore, we created a platform named “Make It Feel Right” to raise the awareness of consumers." The consumers visiting the web site will be able to decide alone about which content is good or bad.

Krishna Manda: We took a revolutionary step towards sustainability!

"Our sustainability activities have made Lenzing an industry leader," says Lenzing AG Sustainability Integration Senior Manager Krishna Manda and adds: “Lenzing Group has set it as a priority to develop new innovations and technologies around sustainability values. We recycle and reuse more than 90% of the chemicals and water for the production of Lenzing ECOVERO™ Viscose. Our TENCEL™ Lyocell fiber is produced by a closed loop system with eco-responsible production processes and here as well we recycle and use more than 90% of chemicals and water. So we aim to minimize the environmental impacts through environmentally responsible production methods. On the other hand, worldwide garment consumption is ever-increasing and unsustainable. Fabric waste from garment production results in more waste. We also have to avoid this and bring new solutions. Thanks to REFIBRA™ technology developed by Lenzing, in addition to wood pulp, we started to produce new virgin lyocell fibers from upcycled cotton scraps under TENCEL™ x REFIBRA™ brands. This is a revolutionary development for our industry. The first step is always the hardest one and our company is happy to take the first steps towards a sustainable future”.

Hale Saraçoğlu: We aim to bring sustainable solutions to our industry partners

Lenzing Turkey Business Development and Marketing Manager Hale Saraçoğlu joined an interactive Deep-Dive Hub during the SB'19 İstanbul Conference, where the participants had the opportunity to explore innovative transformation tools. “Sustainability is not a one way process for good fashion. As a fiber producer, we are at the starting point of the supply chain. Starting with fiber, this process is followed by fabric production and garment works before reaching the consumer. With our innovative approaches and new technologies, we can add features such as soft touch and drape to the fabrics containing our fibers. We can also offer faster and sustainable solutions to our partners. Functional benefits stand out in the domestic market in particular, for example the drape and soft touch that TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers add to fabric is very much liked. And taking into consideration such demands, we seek to make our cooperation with producers and brands stronger. Our LENZING™ ECOVERO™ Viscose fibers are certified with EU Ecolabel. As you know, EU Ecolabel is a symbol for environmental excellence and awarded by the European Union to the companies adopting very high environment standards. LENZING™ ECOVERO™ Viscose fiber production generates 50 percent less gas emissions than generic viscose. We strive to add value both to our partners and consumers with our eco-responsible production processes and sustainability principles” says Saraçoğlu about “Good Fashion & Apparel” in Deep-Dive Hub.