Viscose is an artificial fibre as it is derived from a process of processing wood pulp or cellulose. Unlike the conventional viscose found in conventional clothing and fast fashion garments, the viscose used in sustainable clothing is made from the wood of sustainably grown trees, i.e. without the use of pesticides, and from FSC-certified forests. Sustainable viscose can be obtained from the exclusive processing of a single type of wood from a certain type of tree (beech, eucalyptus, bamboo, castor that becomes modal, lyocell, bamboo viscose...) or from the processing together of different types of cellulose. In the case of conventional viscose, the problem lies in the method of cultivation and processing of the raw material. Very often, in fact, there is real deforestation causing the destruction of entire environmental and animal ecosystems or, depending on the raw material, there is intensive cultivation using pesticides and herbicides. But above all, harmful and polluting chemicals are used to obtain wood pulp, such as caustic soda, sulphuric acid, with which the wood is macerated until a viscous material is obtained, and hydrogen sulphide, which is used in the spinning process. As well as seriously harming workers, these substances are naturally dispersed into the environment through untreated waste water discharges, contaminating lakes and watercourses with very serious environmental consequences. The result is a textile fibre that has a natural and vegetable origin but that being treated with such strong chemicals does not retain any of its initial characteristics, rather it absorbs chemicals and is highly polluting. In fast fashion, moreover, viscose is very often mixed with polyester.
Sustainable viscose, on the other hand, besides having a controlled and certified origin of the raw material, also has an environmentally friendly and less polluting processing. The factories that process viscose are equipped with waste water treatment plants so that they do not pollute the environment.
Viscose is a textile fibre with a very lustrous appearance, similar to silk. It is soft and breathable and feels very comfortable on the skin and is usually considered a summer fabric, although it can also be worn in winter, even though it does not have a great capacity for thermoregulation.
