What is Modal Material? How Sustainable Is It Really?
As the demand for this plant-based silky-smooth material continues to grow, it’s only natural that consumers or anyone outside of the clothing industry would start to ask questions about it. Questions like, for starters, just what is modal material?
Modal is an eco-friendly fiber that is made from a wooden polymer found in beech trees. It is an adaptable fiber known for being incredibly silky and soft. Modal is used to manufacture many different types of clothing, including undergarments and activewear.
Although it's well known (and marketed) as being a "miracle fiber" that's simultaneously sustainable, luxurious, and inexpensive to produce, it seems almost too good to be true. So, how many of these claims are accurate versus simply being good marketing and PR? After digging through the mountain of modal fiber research and years of experience, here are the facts.
Three Truths About Modal Material and its Sustainability Promise.
1. How Are Modal Fibers Made?
Modal is made from sustainably grown and harvested beech trees. Most of the forests that grow these beech trees are certified under the PEFC, or the “Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification,” an organization that promotes sustainable forest management across the continent.
The fiber is made by taking the wood fibers from the beech trees and turning them into a sort of pulpy, mushy material. The pulp is treated with a lot of water and chemicals before it can move onto the next stage in the process (keep that in mind for later.)
Once it's been treated, the pulp is dissolved in a solution and then extruded through thousands of tiny holes to make long, pliable filaments. At this point, the material is ready to be spun into threads that can then be blended with other fibers or used in its purest form, both creating finished garments.
What Other Fibers ARE Typically Blended with Modal?
Modal fibers, though perfectly functional on their own, are often mixed with other types of fibers to make the clothing you buy in the store. Examples include wool, cotton, and nylon, but there are many more fibers that can be blended with modal.
Modal blends can take on different properties when compared to 100% modal material, and these properties may be more desirable depending on what type of clothing is being created.
Here are some of the most common types of fiber that are often blended with modal to create finished goods:
Wool
Cotton
Nylon
Silk
Synthetic
Why Would You Blend Modal With Other Fibers?
Different materials are blended with modal material to give them different physical properties on a micro-scale. Clothing made with modal fiber typically wants to be soft, breathable, and moisture-wicking. When combined with something like wool, it helps this other property take on some of those attributes as well.
For example, fabric that has a lot of small gaps between the woven threads and fibers is going to allow more room for air and evaporated sweat to pass through. In turn allowing the body to cool down naturally, even while fully clothed, earning the namesake of “breathable.”
What About “Micromodal” Material?
Micromodal material is made from the same basic material but is spun into much thinner fibers. This allows the material to be woven much tighter and denser, without adding extra weight to the cloth. Micromodal material is typically softer and more “luxurious” feeling than modal.
The differences between micromodal and modal materials are nuanced, but it boils down to how tightly woven the material is. Everything else is consistent across modal and micromodal.
Because of the increase in materials and labor necessary to create micromodal material, you can expect to see a price increase on both the fibers themselves as well as any clothing items made from it.
2. What Items Are Made from Modal? (Hint, a Lot More Than You Think!)
The popularity of modal as both fiber and fabric continues to skyrocket - finding common use in clothing and household items. Its rapid growth is due to wider adoption in the US and market expansion into China, both of which are expected to continue growing over the next few years.
Modal is already part of US households and wardrobes, at least as a blend, yet still under the radar by name in the mind of most consumers.
A few common items that consumers own that have a high likelihood of being constructed with modal fibers include:
Athletic Wear, Activewear, Athleisure Apparel
Bedsheets
Towels
Suits
Dresses
Undergarments
Sweaters
Pajamas
Carpets
The list goes on and on, but there's a strong chance that you own something that consists of modal or micromodal fibers.
3. Is Modal as Environmentally Friendly as They Say?
While modal has traditionally been championed as a super green, 100% sustainable material option, these claims have been called into question as its popularity in manufacturing has grown. Namely responsible sourcing, solvents and waste, and energy demand.
This is where the research gets interesting - and there are numerous claims that modal fabric may not be as sustainable as its reputation portrays.
Here's what you need to know about each argument:
The Impact of Sourcing Modal and Deforestation
Textile production in general has a profoundly negative impact on the environment, the reliance on polyester for instance, which is a non-biodegradable material that requires fossil fuels to create, is in 60% of all garments on shelves and racks today.
This is one of the main reasons Repreve and others are recycling plastic water bottles into recycled polyester.
And while companies are fighting the good fight on alternatives for polyester, the answer doesn't stop and start with polyester.
Textiles are also major contributors to deforestation. Even though many clothing manufacturers obtain their modal from producers that are certified under the PEFC or an equivalent sustainability certification, this does not necessarily mean that they are meeting all of the marks necessary to be labeled a “sustainable” option.
These certifications, while meaningful, can be misleading, especially if a modal manufacturer only has one. Improving sustainable forest management is a crucial part of improving the sustainability of man-made textiles.
Other Certification Programs
Modal material producers can become certified “green” from several different sources. The PEFC, as discussed before, is a common certification for beech tree forests that are specifically used to create modal.
But several other notable certifications can help paint a broader picture of a manufacturer's sustainability. A few of them include:
Oeko-Tex Certification: Oeko-Tex is a certification company that allows clothing companies to use their labels to mark their clothing as “sustainable” or “chemical free.” These standards include:
STeP: certifies facilities that manufacture textiles in sustainable production conditions.
STANDARD 100: indicates clothing has been tested for harmful chemicals.
MADE IN GREEN: indicates that clothing has been tested for harmful chemicals and is manufactured in both sustainable and socially responsible conditions.
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC): the FSC is an internationally managed organization that sets standards for responsible forest management and harvesting practices. Obtaining an FSC forest management certification shows that producers are managing their forest in a way that not only ensures its economic viability and sustainability while preserving biodiversity but also benefits the lives of local residents and workers.
EU Ecolabel: this is a label on many products in the European Union that helps consumers be more aware and provide information on products to purchase that reduce their carbon and pollutive footprint. This trademark of the EU is a standard that is awarded to those products that have a lower ecological impact than other comparable products.
The bottom line is, when sourcing modal, ask for proof of certifications. Having a paper trail of these important distinctions will have value to not only you and your brand but also the consumer.
Mills and manufacturers that have multiple certifications and are more transparent about their processes are far more likely to partake in proper sustainable practices than those that only have one certification or don’t disclose their treatment and deforestation practices.
Chemical Treatment, Energy, and Water Usage to Produce Modal
As you know, modal is produced from natural fibers found in beech trees, and part of that process is compacting them into a pulp - but there's a lot of work needed to convert the pulp into a fiber that can be spun into apparel.
This is why modal is treated with solvents; to convert the pulp into workable fibers, the addition of chemicals is required. Some of which can be toxic.
Sodium hydroxide, carbon disulfide, and sulfuric acid are just a few chemicals that are often used to create modal - and these can be extremely harmful to the environment if disposed of improperly, becoming large pollutants as a result.
They are harmful to the environment and local communities, as they are sometimes found polluting water sources in the areas around textile factories.
Modal pulp refinement also requires a massive amount of energy and water usage. This energy is produced primarily in coal plants, contributing to global warming with the emission of greenhouse gases. The textile industry as a whole puts between 1.22 and 2.93 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year.
So Is Modal A Sustainable Material?
It is important to keep in mind that, while the above information is true of some modal manufacturing plants, it is not true of all of them.
As sustainability continues to grow as an issue in the minds of consumers, more and more textile companies are making changes to meet these growing standards, proving that textile manufacturing can be truly sustainable and green, while still being profitable to manufacture.
Lenzing for instance, a global textile manufacturer, has gone all in on ecological sustainability. The organization is extremely detailed regarding its green practices, which extend not only to the planet and environment but also to local communities that may be impacted by production.
The Verdict on Modal
Overall, there are many sustainable and product benefits to modal. More positives than negatives, especially compared to other types of textiles that pervade the industry.
Modal is a comfortable material that is extremely breathable and soft and allows for the construction of high-quality clothing items at a fraction of the cost. It's flexible and can be blended into several other types of textiles to give them new properties all while lowering costs.
Modal is, overall, more economically friendly than other types of textiles, but does fall short of being a miracle fiber.
While some modal producers are doing it right, like Lenzing, many modal producers are still behind on sustainability efforts, even though they may be cloaked in a certification or two.
Being aware of these issues and what to look for is crucial to making an educated purchase.