Viscose is a material very similar to polyester, but derived from cellulose and for this reason presented as a green alternative. The reality, however, is different.
The first step towards building a wardrobe that can truly be called sustainable is to know the materials that make up the clothes we choose to buy. Where do they come from? How great is the environmental impact of their production process? Can they be recycled? What are the consequences of their dispersal into the environment? All these questions are useful for navigating a textile product's label.
We have already discussed how harmful polyester can be for the environment, but what about viscose, often presented as its plant-based alternative? To understand whether it can be a virtuous alternative or not, we need to analyse the production process, because this textile fibre is indeed derived from cellulose — that is, from wood pulp — but it is also treated with aggressive chemical agents that are highly harmful to health. So yes, we are talking about a fibre of plant origin that, while feeling and performing very much like polyester, has nothing to do with petroleum; yet, despite frequently being classified as a more environmentally friendly and potentially sustainable option, it is in reality even worse.
The story of viscose — or rayon, to use the Anglo-Saxon term — begins around the mid-nineteenth century, when the French industry fell into crisis owing to a disease affecting silkworms, damaging the production of the precious fabric. At that point, Louis Pasteur himself — the inventor of pasteurisation and of vaccines as we know them today — was called upon to find a solution and revive the French industry. That solution is called viscose and is, in essence, a silk reproduced in the laboratory.
Viscose is produced by dissolving cellulose (derived from wood pulp, bamboo or cotton) in a process involving sodium hydroxide and carbon disulphide. Once the viscous material has been dissolved in a solution and left to rest, what is obtained from it is then transformed back into fibrous cellulose, which can be shaped into threads using sulphuric acid. The entire process is fairly inexpensive and the fibres it yields are versatile enough to be used as a substitute for other fabrics, from cotton to silk.
The fact that viscose originates from wood pulp, bamboo or cotton means it is often presented as a natural alternative to silk and, above all, to polyester — but the reality is that the chemicals required to produce it are extremely harmful to health. While viscose is safe by the time it reaches consumers, thanks to the numerous washes it undergoes before reaching the market, factory workers are at high risk of neurological effects, nerve damage, heart disease and stroke. This is also confirmed by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, according to which one of the effects is also the deterioration of the mental faculties of children living near the factories before they even reach adolescence.
63 per cent of the world's viscose is produced in China, and there are generally a great many factories across Asia, where regulations on the use of chemicals are less stringent. According to a report published by the Changing markets foundation, in Indonesia workers at a viscose factory were found washing chemicals out of fabrics directly in a river, while there is abundant evidence that the production of this fibre in China is poisoning both workers and local water bodies.
In India, factories discharge directly into tributaries of the Ganges, poisoning entire families. It can happen that workers lose their minds due to prolonged contact with carbon disulphide, a substance that is also responsible for the onset of kidney disease, heart attacks and strokes. Other agents used in production, such as sodium hydroxide, sulphuric acid and hydrogen sulphide, can be responsible for eye damage, neurobehavioural alterations and skin burns.
It is not only the toxic chemicals that make viscose problematic, but also the raw material required to produce it. More than 200 million trees are felled every year across Indonesia, Canada and Brazil to be turned into cellulosic fabric, as revealed by the environmental movement Canopy, a non-profit organisation founded with the aim of protecting forests. This has particularly severe consequences in Indonesia, where endangered animals and indigenous peoples are forced to leave their lands.
Changing market foundation, in addition to the Dirty Fashion report, also launched a global action campaign in 2018 to encourage the responsible production of viscose. Working with 100 brands and retailers, as well as with the most important viscose producers, it is committed to assessing and validating their responsible production plans, commitments and progress on transparency. The result is that fourteen major brands and retailers have made public commitments to clean up their viscose supply chains, while producers accounting for 50 per cent of the global market share have committed to improving production and have begun investing in closed-loop production processes in line with evolving markets.
For genuine change to occur, it is important that the entire industry be involved. Manufacturers respond to a specific demand that originates from brands, which are drawn to the properties of a material that is cheap, versatile and capable of mimicking the performance of many natural fibres. It is important to act on both the demand for viscose and on research and development: there are indeed companies that produce this material through non-impactful methods.
Canopy has also compiled a report, following an analysis of various brands at a global level, finding that 500 of them (data updated to 2023) are moving towards green viscose suppliers. Stella McCartney was the first major luxury player to move in this direction and was soon followed by fast fashion giants Zara and H&M, as well as Levi's, Ralph Lauren, and the entire Vf group (a company that controls brands such as The North Face, Timberland, Vans, Eastpak and many others).
There are also smaller companies such as Lenzing, which produces a more eco-friendly and softer version of viscose by using a closed-loop process that releases no toxins into the environment. That said, what should you look for on a label to be sure you are buying cellulose that has not been produced in a way that damages the environment? Certifications such as Oeko-tex and Bluesign, for example, certify that the fabric we are buying has been produced in facilities that adopt the necessary precautions in terms of environmental safety.