TENCEL™ Lyocell, TENCEL™ Modal, LENZING™ ECOVERO™ Viscose and organic cotton: what's the difference?

The short answer

Organic cotton is a natural fiber grown from the cotton plant under organic farming rules, then GOTS-certified through every step of processing, in the specific styles that carry that certification. TENCEL™ Lyocell, TENCEL™ Modal and LENZING™ ECOVERO™ Viscose are all wood-based cellulosic fibers, made by Lenzing AG from certified or controlled wood sources — but they're produced through three different processes, and each carries its own certifications and claims. None of them are the same fiber wearing a different name, and we choose between them for different collections based on what each one does best — softness, drape, traceability, or the specific properties organic cotton brings.

Organic cotton: grown, then certified through processing

Not every Organic Basics product is made with organic cotton — we also use non-organic and OCS-certified cotton in parts of our range. The description below applies specifically to the styles that carry GOTS certification.

Organic cotton is grown without synthetic pesticides or GMO seed, under a recognized organic-farming standard. That covers the farm. Once the fiber leaves the farm, GOTS certification takes over and covers everything else: spinning, knitting or weaving, dyeing, and cut-and-sew manufacturing, verified by independent audits. Not everything we sell is GOTS certified — this is what happens specifically in the styles that are.

Because of that split, the accurate way to describe a finished product is that it's GOTS-certified — not “GOTS-certified organic cotton” or “GOTS cotton.” GOTS labels also come in two tiers based on verified organic fiber content: “Organic” for 95% or more, and “Made with (x%) organic materials” for 70–94%, with the exact percentage stated. Below 70%, a product isn't eligible for GOTS certification or labeling at all.

Where a product is GOTS-certified, it's labeled separately from the rest of our range. Organic Basics is GOTS-certified under certification number GOTS-20447, certified by Control Union.

TENCEL™ Lyocell: wood pulp, spun in a closed loop

TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers are made from wood pulp, sourced from certified or controlled wood sources. The Lyocell process is a closed loop: wood pulp is transformed into cellulosic fibers, while more than 99.8% of the solvent used is recovered and fed back into the loop, resulting in close-to-zero wastage.

TENCEL™ Lyocell and Modal fibers are made with at least 50% less carbon emissions and water consumption*.

* Compared to generic (unbranded) lyocell and modal. Results based on LCA standards (ISO 14040/44) and available via the Higg MSI (Version 3.8).

TENCEL™ Modal: a different process, prized for softness

TENCEL™ Modal fibers are also wood-based, but the Modal production process runs on a different, highly resource-efficient technology with high recovery rates of chemicals — it isn't the same closed-loop lyocell process. Modal fibers are the ones typically chosen for their softness and long-lasting feel, which is why they show up often in underwear and loungewear.

The same 50%-less-carbon-and-water claim above applies to TENCEL™ Modal as well as TENCEL™ Lyocell, compared in both cases to generic (unbranded) lyocell and modal — not to organic cotton.

LENZING™ ECOVERO™ Viscose: a more traceable fiber

LENZING™ ECOVERO™ Viscose is Lenzing AG's branded viscose fiber — also wood-based, also sourced from certified or controlled wood sources, but a viscose fiber rather than a lyocell or modal one.

LENZING™ ECOVERO™ fibers are made with at least 50% less carbon emissions and water consumption*.

LENZING™ ECOVERO™ fibers are certified with the EU Ecolabel for environmental excellence†.

* Compared to generic (unbranded) viscose. Results based on LCA standards (ISO 14040/44) and available via the Higg MSI, Version 3.9.1 (December 2024).

† EU Ecolabel for textile products (license no. AT/016/001).