Modal fabric

Description
♦ Modal fabric (registered trademark) is a man made 100% cellulose fibre, made out of pure wooden chips from the beech tree.
♦ Made from the ‘European Schneider zelkova’ tree.
♦ Combined with modern microforms.
♦ The fibre is processed by creating a wood pulp, then spinning, then processing the reconstituted beech tree into cellulose fibre.
♦ Modal fabric is commonly blended with cotton as the cross fibre is similar.

Uses
♦ Towelling, bathrobes, bedding.
♦ Yarn, clothing, bed clothes, underwear.
♦ Furnishings, bedding.

Advantages
♦ Absorbs 50% more water than cotton.
♦ Takes dye as well as cotton.
♦ Lightweight fabric.
♦ Has the appearance of silk: luster/sheen/gloss.
♦ Holds colour when machine washed in warm water.
♦ Fabric isn’t stiff, doesn’t become rigid when machine washed.
♦ Can be repeatably washed and holds soft and smooth characteristics.
♦ Soft and smooth against the skin.
♦ Doesn’t pile as much as cotton.
♦ Resistant to fading.
♦ Resistant to shrinkage.
♦ Resistant to mineral build up when washed again and again e.g. lime from hard water.
♦ Blends are more crease resistant.
♦ Doesn’t age like cotton.

Disadvantages
♦ 100% modal requires ironing.
♦ 100% modal has a tendency to pile due to the long fibres.
♦ More expensive than viscose.

Embodied Energy
♦ Transportation from manufacturer to Europe or USA increases fuel consumption, depending on the distance for shipping.
♦ Currently the only manufacturer of this textile is in Austria, if you are local to Austria this textile is ideal, however further away lowers the eco credentials.
♦ Processing the beech wood into a cellulose fibre is a man made process which uses more energy than processing natural fibres.

Source/Origin
♦ Austria – Modal is a registered trademark of Lenzig AG.
♦ Beech is imported from Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Germany .

Renewable
♦ Manufacturer advises all timber is collected from sustainably managed forests.

Environment & Health
♦ Made from 100% natural timber, creating a 100% natural fibre.
♦ Harmless to humans and animals as 100% natural.
♦ Manufacturer has a sustainability policy in place for their manufacturing process.
Some of the beech chippings used are from industrial timber – unable to use such timber for quality timber e.g. furniture, flooring, door fronts etc.
♦ Waste by products of processing are sold on e.g. wood sugars.

Performance
♦ As strong as polyester.
♦ Retains softness and silky appearance after repeated machine washing.

Recycled content
♦ n/a

Recyclable
♦ Can be recycled into lesser worth products e.g. filling materials.

Disposal / Biodegradable
♦ 100 % biodegradable fabric

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