LENZING ECOVERO

LENZING ECOVERO is a branded viscose, still made by the traditional viscose route that uses carbon disulfide, but manufactured under Lenzing's tighter controls with chemicals recovered rather than dumped, and it is the first viscose to earn the EU Ecolabel.

Be precise here, because the marketing blurs it: this is viscose, not lyocell, so the process does involve carbon disulfide, a solvent that is a documented hazard to factory workers when emissions are not controlled. The wearer-health point is different from the worker-health point. By the time the washed, finished fiber reaches your skin it carries essentially no carbon disulfide, and ECOVERO is certified to OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 and is highly breathable and absorbent, so it feels soft and cool against skin. What you are paying for is controlled, lower-emission, traceable production and verified low residual chemistry, versus anonymous viscose where neither the worker exposure nor the finishing residues are accountable.

Look for the branded LENZING ECOVERO name plus EU Ecolabel and OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100; generic unbranded viscose or rayon gives you no assurance about how it was made or what residues remain.

It uses at least 50 percent less water and generates about half the carbon emissions of generic viscose.