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  Corporate news transmitted by euro adhoc with the aim of a Europe-wide 
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Company Information 
 
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* Excellent project to encourage ingenuity among young students 
* Experiment on biodegradability of textiles and nonwovens produces impressive 
  results 
* EUR 30,000 in prize money for a total of 209 participating schools in and 
  outside Austria 
* Lenzing views supporting these kinds of projects as part of its sustainability 
  mission 
 
Lenzing - The Association of Chemistry Teachers in Austria - known by its German 
abbreviation, VCÖ - has been holding project competitions that thrill students 
and take them beyond the traditional syllabus for 30 years. Every two years, it 
highlights a key topic for ninth- and tenth-graders to explore by conducting 
special experiments and learning from their observations and conclusions. 
 
This year, the 16th installment of the competition is called, "Achieving a 
cleaner climate and a circular economy with chemistry". These topics are also 
near and dear to the heart of globally active fiber manufacturer Lenzing. That's 
why the company promptly announced that it was prepared to support this project 
competition in several different ways. First, Lenzing made a contribution toward 
the sponsorship fund totaling EUR 30,000. Second, it initiated a special prize 
on biodegradability - a topic of growing importance given the huge challenges 
involved in reducing plastic waste. Finally, Lenzing placed a recognized expert 
at the students' disposal to provide assistance and answer questions: Michaela 
Kogler, Project Manager Nonwovens & Technical Products. 
 
Zwtl.: Teaming up with rainworms 
 
Two teams were tasked with biodegrading different fibers - just like those used 
to produce textiles and nonwovens - with the active participation of worms. 
Students at BRG solarCity in Linz buried fiber nonwovens, a basic material used 
in wet wipes and other products, in soil that was populated with numerous 
rainworms, while students at Vöcklabruck Junior High School for Sports and 
Integration layered textiles into a vermicomposting bin. Both experiments 
intended to determine the extent to which certain materials would biodegrade 
quickly. As it turned out, both projects showed that wood-based fibers, like 
those that Lenzing manufactures for the textile and nonwoven industry, break 
down very rapidly into natural constituents that swiftly pass into the soil. In 
contrast, fossil-based plastics such as polyester or polyethylene cannot be 
decomposed by worms or bacteria but remain in the soil, sometimes for hundreds 
of years. 
 
The prizes for this year's competition were awarded on June 11. The competition 
attracted entries from no fewer than 209 schools, including 11 from outside 
Austria. For more information on the projects and the winners, visit 
www.vcoe.or.at [http://www.vcoe.or.at]. 
 
Photo download [https://mediadb.lenzing.com/pinaccess/ 
showpin.do?pinCode=hlcwslkQmFcz] 
PIN: hlcwslkQmFcz 
 
 
 
Further inquiry note: 
Dominic Köfner 
Vice President Corporate Communications & Public Affairs 
Lenzing AG 
Phone: +43 7672 701 2743 
E-mail: media@lenzing.com 
 
end of announcement                         euro adhoc 
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 22, 2021 03:00 ET (07:00 GMT)