History

History of Lenzing: 80 Years of Innovation

From producing fibers made from wood to becoming a global technology leader: take an inspiring journey in time through 80 years of innovation history.

The journey began in 1890, when Emil Hamburger, a paper industrialist from Lower Austria, acquired the "Starlingermühle" in Lenzing (Austria). Today, the Lenzing Group is an internationally established company with nine production sites and nine sales and planning offices in more than 10 countries.

2022

Start of production of the world's largest fiber pulp plant in Indianópolis (Brazil)
Construction of the largest ground-mounted photovoltaic plant in Upper Austria at the site in Lenzing (Austria)
Investments in green energy in Nanjing (China) and Purwakarta (Indonesia)
Publication of the evolved corporate strategy "Better Growth"
First annual and sustainability report in online format
Opening of the world's largest lyocell fiber production plant in Prachinburi (Thailand)
30^th anniversary of TENCEL™

2021

Cooperation with Södra to promote a circular economy in the fashion industry
Launch of the TENCEL™ eShop
Market launch of the pioneering TENCEL™ modal fiber with Indigo Color technology
First production of CO₂-neutral VEOCEL™ lyocell fibers

2020

Introduction of the blockchain technology in cooperation with "TextileGenesis" for more transparency in the textile industry
First production of CO₂-neutral TENCEL™ lyocell and modal fibers
First direct complete train from Vienna to China with 100 percent Austrian TENCEL™ fibers

2019

Lenzing as the first wood-based fiber producer with approved science-based climate targets, e.g. commitment to production without CO₂ emissions
Opening of a new innovation center in Indonesia (Lenzing Center of Excellence)

2018

Publication of the new brand identity
Start of production of LENZING™ ECOVERO™ fibers at the Nanjing site (China)
Development of LENZING™ Web Technology for the production of sustainable nonwovens

2017

Launch of the filament yarn TENCEL™ Luxe for the premium luxury market
Launch of the LENZING™ ECOVERO™ brand, environmentally compatible viscose fibers
Unprecedented progress for the circular economy in the textile industry through the commercial launch of the REFIBRA™ technology
Opening of a sales and marketing office in Istanbul (Turkey)

2014

Commissioning of the first production facility for lyocell fibers at the Lenzing site (Austria) after two years of construction work

2010

Acquisition of the Czech pulp plant Biocel Paskov, which was then changed from paper to dissolving pulp in subsequent years
Substantial investments in capacity expansions and modifications at the Lenzing (Austria) and Nanjing (China) sites

2007

Further milestones on the way to the internationalization of the Lenzing Group: Start of the first viscose fiber plant in Nanjing (China), where primarily fibers for the Asian market are produced

2004

Acquisition of the TENCEL™ brand including sales team and sustainable breakthrough of the forward-looking lyocell fiber on the market
Two new production sites in Mobile, Alabama (USA) and Grimsby (UK)

1997

Commissioning of the first large-scale lyocell production plant at the new Lenzing site in Heiligenkreuz (Austria)
Next milestone in the development of the biorefinery concept - extraction of further co-products from the valuable resource wood (Xylitol)

1984/85

Successful listing on the Vienna Stock Exchange in 1985
Change of name from "Chemiefaser Lenzing" to "Lenzing AG" in 1984

1983

First steps towards expanding its production across the globe: subsidiary South Pacific Viscose starts fiber production in Indonesia
Takeover of a polyester filament plant in Italy and a production facility in the field of high-performance plastics in the United States (both plants were later sold again)

1975

Establishment of the first environmental department at the Lenzing site (Austria)
Reorganization in the direction of ecological production at the Lenzing site (Austria): Start of construction of the first waste air purification system as well as Austria's largest waste water treatment plant

1969

Acquisition of the neighboring pulp and paper mill in Lenzing (Austria)
Merger of pulp and fiber production into one integrated production site with all its economic and technical advantages
Development of the pioneering biorefinery concept

1965

Market launch of Lenzing's first “high wet modulus” fiber (predecessor to today's modal fibers) after several years of research and development work - first specialty fiber made by Lenzing
Strengthening of self-supply with important raw materials - construction of a plant for sulfuric acid production

1947/48

"Zellwolle Lenzing AG" as an important raw material supplier for the textile industry during the period of reconstruction
Resumption of the former "Zellwolle Lenzing" after the collapse of production towards the end of the war with the approval of the Allied forces and through the support of Austria’s banks
Reappraisal of the role of Lenzing AG during the Second World War

1939-1945

Start of production of "Zellwolle Lenzing AG" under the repressions of the Nazi regime
Establishment of a women’s external camp of the "Mauthausen" concentration camp in the neighboring municipality of "Pettighofen"
The concentration camp prisoners, like numerous other forced laborers, were employed under inhumane conditions by the Nazi regime at the Lenzing plant
The Lenzing viscose fiber plant survived the war largely unscathed

1938

Use of the existing pulp mill as a raw material supplier in the course of war preparations
Foundation of "Zellwolle Lenzing AG"
Expropriation of the Bunzl family, to whom the pulp and paper factory was sold in 1935

1892

Commissioning of the first pulp and paper mill in Lenzing (Austria), whose development was facilitated by its geographical location and access to important resources (Ager River, coal, wood, railroad, etc.)
Acquisition of the "Starlingermühle" in Lenzing (Austria) from the paper industrialist Emil Hamburger in 1890