For the first time, Lenzing Group has delivered wood-based cellulosic fibres, which are produced at the Austrian sites in Lenzing and Heiligenkreuz, directly to China by train. Thanks to this new transport route, Lenzing is able to meet urgent demand for sustainably produced fibres from Chinese customers twice as quickly as by usual sea freight.
The first complete train with goods 100 per cent “Made in Austria” started on August 20 in the presence of Leonore Gewessler, federal minister for climate action, environment, energy, mobility, innovation and technology; Xiaosi Li, Ambassador of China in Austria; Stefan Doboczky, chief executive officer of the Lenzing Group; Thomas Kargl, board member of the ÖBB Rail Cargo Group; Erwin Cootjans, chief executive officer of Nunner Logistics; and Erich Hampel, chairman of the board of the B&C Private Foundation, at the Vienna South Terminal and reached his destination on September 5 at the Xinzhu train station in Xi’an, China.
The train loaded with 41 containers with Tencel branded lyocell and modal fibres and a total value of €1.8 million, passed a total of 10,460 km in seven countries: Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan and China.
The first Lenzing fibre train was received in a grand ceremony on Tuesday, September 8 at the container terminal in Xi’an. Numerous guests, including the Austrian ambassador to China, Friedrich Stift, representatives of the Xi’an Municipal Government, the China Railway Xi’an Group, the Xi’an International Trade & Logistics Park as well as representatives of the Lenzing Group, the China National Textile and Apparel Council, Lenzing customers and the media attended the ceremony.
“The delivery of Austrian-made products through the China Railway Express adheres to the sustainable concept of Lenzing. Since China and Austria signed the bilateral railway cooperation agreement in 1994, the two countries have maintained good cooperation in the railway field and will continue to do so in the future. China is Austria’s largest partner in Asia, and it is believed that after the outbreak of the corona crisis bilateral trade will normalise in 2021,” said Stift.
“This is the first time for the Lenzing Group to deliver Austrian-made Tencel branded fibres directly to Chinese customers. The Silk Road has been a main transport route between Europe and Asia since ancient times. Chinese consumers affectionately call Tencel fibres ‘Silk from Heaven’. The China-Europe Express can reduce the transport time between Europe and China by half, thus meeting Chinese customer’s demand for environmentally friendly fibers more quickly,” said Hu Jian, senior vice president of the Lenzing Group for North Asia.
For local brands and retailers in China, sourcing sustainable goods is becoming increasingly important. For this reason, many manufacturers rely on Tencel fibres, which contribute to a clean environment thanks to the renewable raw material wood and the ecologically responsible production. The Lenzing Group’s high-quality fibres are biodegradable and form the basis for a variety of textile applications.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (PC)
For the first time, Lenzing Group has delivered wood-based cellulosic fibres, which are produced at the Austrian sites in Lenzing and Heiligenkreuz, directly to China by train. Thanks to this new transport route, Lenzing is able to meet urgent demand for sustainably produced fibres from Chinese customers twice as quickly as by usual sea freight.
