EVIG

PLANT-BASED ACTIVEWEAR – EUCALYPTUS TENCEL™ Lyocell

EVIG is made from one of the most environmentally responsible fibres currently available, using incredibly low amounts of energy and water, releasing low amounts of emissions, and requiring no toxic chemicals. Eucalyptus TENCEL™ Lyocell is sustainable, high quality and ethically sourced.

TENCEL™ Lyocell is the trademarked name for the specific fibre created by Lenzing in Austria. This trademark, is the promise that the fibres are made:

– from eucalyptus trees grown in sustainably managed FSC® certified organic forests on lands that are not suitable for agriculture, without water irrigation, toxins, herbicides or pesticides.

– using an ecological and fully sustainable closed-loop process, which does not use any harmful chemicals and recycles 99.5% of the water and non-toxic solvent used to spin hand-forested eucalyptus wood intro a fibre

TENCEL™ Lyocell is the promise of an environmentally conscious production that has received the “European Award for the Environment” from the European Union due to its low energy usage, low emissions and low pollution.

Fabric selection is the HIGHEST impact in environmental footprint

EVIG is a low emission and natural alternative to energy intensive and chemically coated fossil fuel materials, so you can avoid wearing plastic coated with chemicals on your skin. EVIG wearers have the assurance that their activewear choices are not contributing to an adverse impact on the environment.

BIODEGRADABLE & NO MICROPLASTICS

TENCEL™ Lyocell is a closed loop fibre, that can fully revert back to nature in three months as it is 100% biodegradable – without releasing any harmful toxins into the earth and water. Moreover, there are no harmful microplastics released from this fibre when washing it.

BETTER FOR YOU
Beyond being OEKO-TEX™ certified to European standards of health for wearer, TENCEL™ Lyocell is also naturally anti bacterial and hypo allergenic. This makes the material great for sensitive skin and those who might have allergies for synthetic fibers such as polyester. It is gentle on the the skin, and does not itch or rash.

WOVEN SUSTAINABLY

We searched and searched and searched. Finally, in Portugal we found a partner that has the expertise required to work with TENCEL™ Lyocell and who carries a huge level of commitment towards environmental and social responsibility, and has been tackling climate change for 20 years by developing sustainable strategies along the entire textile process.

They have managed to create a production process where 98% of their cycle is reused or recycled, and they have a private biological water treatment plant to make sure all water is properly cleaned 100% before releasing it back into nature. They have the GOTS, SA8000 and bluesign® certifications – which are some of the highest environmental and social benchmarks.

As for the dyeing processes, they use natural organic dyes and are certified by GOTS, OEKO-TEX™ Class I, STeP, REACH, ISO 14001 and 9001 and also bluesign® approved.

The search was worth the wait, and we found not only a partner, but a kindred spirit and friend in Catarina, our direct partner, who has helped us to develop the EVIG fabrics along every step of the way.

SUSTAINABLE STRETCH?

The elastic waistband of the EVIG shorts and pants is made from natural rubber, organic and sustainably sourced from the trunk of rubber trees.

The crop-top material is 93% TENCEL™ Lyocell and 7% Elastane, because unfortunately as of now there is no natural elastic invented for textiles. We are continuously followed and searching working on supporting material science to develop this, so we can make stretch materials 100% bio botanical based.

VS FOSSIL-FUEL SYNTHETIC FABRICS

The majority of clothing is created by drilling and burning fossil fuels, requiring enormous amounts of energy, water and chemicals. Polyesters, nylons, polythene are oil and coal based, meaning we are essentially wearing fossil fuel based plastics coated with chemicals on our skin.

TENCEL™ Lyocell is far more ecologically friendly, and in terms of performance it is also more breathable, absorbs more moisture and is softer on the skin than recycled plastics. TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers are also tension-free with no electrostatic charging. In comparison with synthetics, this makes TENCEL™ Lyocell material static-free.

TENCEL™ Lyocell reduces CO₂ emissions by 5x compared to synthetics (polyester, nylon).

VS RECYCLED FOSSIL-FUEL FABRIRCS / PLASTIC/ POLYESTER, POLYTHENE, NYLON ETC.

Recycling polyester requires less energy than original virgin production, but significantly more energy and emissions than any natural materials.

Recycled plastic fabrics have 8000 chemicals of coating.

85% of plastic pollution in our waters, is microplastics. Microplastics are released when washing clothes made from fossil-fuel materials; also recycled ones. Per wash, over 1900 tiny microplastics could be released from a single garment. The plastics gets washed into the sea where it is mistaken as food by sea animals and ends up in our food chain.

At EVIG we are against clothing made from recycled plastic because it is not sustainable. Plastics should be recycled, but we do not believe in taking carpets and plastic bottles, to convert into something we wear on our skin. There is a better way.

VS COTTON

TENCEL™ Lyocell reduces CO₂ emissions by 2x compared to cotton. It requires 70% less space for cultivation, and uses 80% less water than even organic cotton.

Eucalyptus trees are fast growing and take up five times less land than cotton production. Eucalyptus trees are also much stronger and robust than cotton crops and do not require any pesticides or insecticides or other chemical fertilisers. Whereas, cotton production accounts for 11% of pesticides used globally, along with chemical-intensive processing of cotton, altogether presenting problems for human health, and contamination of earth and water systems. It has been reported, at least 26 million cotton workers suffer pesticide poisoning each year.

Eucalyptus trees do not require any water irrigation, in contrast to water-intensive cotton that requires immense amounts of water to grow and process, with a single t-shirt requiring 2,700 litres of water (the same one person drinks in 3 years), and 8,000 litres to make a pair of jeans (the same as 300 showers). This water problem is compounded by the facts that cotton crops are often grown in areas with high water scarcity such as India.

Moreover, cotton production is notorious for its ill treatment of workers, as cotton workers tend to earn very little, are treated poorly, and, suffer from extremely low life expectancy rates. Findings show that every 30 minutes an Indian cotton worker commits suicide. Additionally, child labour is a particular issue for cotton picking, and there have been multiple reports of child labour and child trafficking for cotton cultivation.

In terms of performance, TENCEL™ Lyocell is 50% more absorbent and breathable than cotton, making Tencel more comfortable and less susceptible to odorous bacteria growth, and therefore ideal for activewear.

VS VISCOSE/RAYON

While bamboo (viscose) is often touted as an eco-fabric, the truth is that it is a not-so-eco-friendly fabric, using a massive amount of water and chemicals to manufacture. The corrosive solvent used for this process is a toxic chemical that is a known human hazard, and polluter to the environment via air emissions and wastewater. The process is so toxic it has been banned in the EU and USA. In fact, the chemical processing is so intense that there is barely any bamboo left in the finished product!

TENCEL™ Lyocell requires significantly less water and energy, and there are no harmful toxic chemicals used. Moreover, unlike the bamboo viscose fiber, TENCEL™ Lyocell does not need to be blended with other textiles, making it much easier to recycle.

In terms of performance, viscose’s main issue is its tendency to get non-smooth and to have peeling after washing, as well as shrinking during washing and wrinkling with frequent use.

VS MODAL

In terms of performance, modal is lighter, thinner and less sweat-wicking compared to TENCEL™ Lyocell, makes it less suitable for activewear.