SHANGHAI – Sateri, the world’s largest producer of viscose fibre, has announced plans to expand its Lyocell production in China – and is targeting annual capacity of up to 500,000 tonnes by 2025.
The first phase of the expansion began with works for a new 100,000 tonne facility in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, with another 100,000 tonne facility to be built in Nantong, Jiangsu province later this year. The Changzhou Lyocell facility is expected to commence production in the third quarter of 2022.
Sateri entered China’s Lyocell market in May 2020 when its 20,000 tonne Lyocell production line in Rizhao, Shandong province commenced production. The same site houses a 5,000 tonne Lyocell pilot production line dedicated for the development of Lyocell application technology.
Allen Zhang, president of Sateri, said: “Sateri’s continued investment in Lyocell not only responds to the changing needs of the market and the textile industry but also supports China’s green development plans. It is also very much a part of Sateri’s to sustainable development where we actively seek to adopt a circular economy model through clean and closed-loop production technology and innovation.”
Sateri’s Lyocell is made from wood pulp sourced from certified plantations using closed-loop technology, requiring minimal chemical input during the production process, and utilising an organic solvent that can be almost fully recovered and recycled.
Tom Liu, Sateri’s vice president and general manager of Lyocell and nonwovens business, said: “The new expansion plans will enable us to extend our domestic and international market reach and provide our customers with high quality and comprehensive fibre products. At the same time, we will invest in technology improvement, application development, and brand collaboration to bolster the industry.”