Sustainable Linen Management can Help Hotels Become Carbon Neutral Quickly and Effectively, say Dr. Linen and Lenzing Fibers

With the due date for adherence to Dubai Tourism’s sustainability mandate approaching fast, Dr. Linen - the eco-friendly range of products created by Rent-A-Towel, a Dubai based company providing end-to-end linen management solutions - has laid out the roadmap to help hoteliers meet the guidelines swiftly.

Avinash Mane and Narayanan Raghavan

“The recent announcement by Dubai Tourism is part of the UAE’s plan to achieve a sustainable economy,” says Narayanan Raghavan, CEO of Dr. Linen and Rent-A-Towel. “Post-COVID, the efforts to operate hotels more sustainably, have accelerated further. This focus has also gained ground several fold, because of the imminent Expo 2020, which has sustainability as one of its key pillars.”

Dubai Tourism is not the only hospitality affiliated UAE body to promote sustainable practices in the industry. The Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) has recently announced an investment of Dh500 million, across 20 sustainable tourism development initiatives.

Hoteliers in the UAE have been working hard to adapt to this future-ready approach with a flurry of activity, across several operational functions. One such area is linen management, with the water usage it entails being a key sustainability concern. Rent-A-Towel offers the industry multi-faceted benefits, which include:

• The innovative and proven linen rental model created by Rent-A-Towel, which reduces the water consumption and operating costs for the property.

• Embedded water usage is lowered because of the bulk processes that Rent-A-Towel can implement, to process the laundry needs of multiple properties.

• The Dr. Linen range, made from eco-friendly wood-based fibers that are unfavourable for microbial growth, ensures premium guest experiences, while reducing water use per article by nearly a third.

• Hospitality owners and operators can achieve results that address the comfort and health concerns of guests, at lower operational and environmental costs.

“Rent-a Towel was launched to provide the hospitality industry with a sustainable approach to laundry and linen management,” Raghavan adds. “Our Dr. Linen range, created in partnership with global sustainable fiber heavyweights Lenzing fibers and their TENCEL^TM brand, maximizes those outcomes, because of the low carbon footprint of their lyocell fiber, during processing, use, and eventual disposal.”

TENCEL^TM fibers of Lenzing, Austria, is revolutionizing the textile industry with raw material sourced from sustainably grown forests. These fibers significantly reduce water consumption, boast a longer lifespan, remain luxurious to use after repeated washes, and are fully biodegradable at the end of their lifecycle.

“TENCEL^TM fibers contribute to multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals. They have been developed with the aim to reduce production emissions and lifecycle water use, while ensuring premium user experiences,” says Avinash Mane, Commercial Head for Lenzing fibers in South Asia & Middle East. “In addition, our strict adherence to ethical sourcing and production, as well as global community initiatives, are an important value-addition, for our partners and customers.”

Lenzing’s closed loop production process, which transforms wood pulp into TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers with high resource efficiency and low ecological impact, received the European Award for the Environment from the European Commission in the category “The Technology Award for Sustainable Development”. Switching to linen made from TENCEL^TM fibers allows hotels to discreetly, but clearly, display such significant recognition, to reassure guests about their commitment to sustainability.

“When it comes to sustainability, small changes eventually make big ripples. The Dr. Linen range, combined with the Rent-A-Towel business model provides the hospitality sector with a pathway that can be deployed easily and quickly, to help hotels reduce their carbon footprint, and adhere to the evolving sustainability mandates,” concludes Raghavan.

About Rent-A-Towel 

Rent-A-Towel is setting the bar - not just disrupting the status quo. With a background in hospitality and tech for over 20 years, the company's founders aim to innovate on the traditional model of hotel housekeeping, by eliminating unorganized processes and introducing digital technology to increase efficiency. Rent-A-Towel offers a controlled and convenient approach, in an otherwise disorganized sector. This allows hotels to focus on the core business operations, and more importantly, on creating a phenomenal experience for guests. The organized system offered by the company includes complete end-to-end management of linen and laundry operations - making the responsibility for these functions all theirs. Rent-A-Towel believes in innovation, transparency, and commitment, as the hallmark of all their services and products.

About TENCEL^TM

TENCEL™ is the textile specialty brand under The Lenzing Group that covers textile specialty product fiber offerings for apparel and home. The TENCEL™ product brand portfolio defines a new evolutionary step in terms of sustainability, functional benefits, natural comfort and caters for distinctive everyday usage or application. Product brands under TENCEL™ include TENCEL™ Active, TENCEL™ Denim, TENCEL™ Home, TENCEL™ Intimate, TENCEL™ Luxe, and TENCEL™ for Footwear.

Featuring botanic origin and biodegradable quality, TENCEL™ branded modal and lyocell fibers can enhance the breathability of fabrics and have a minimal static charge when used in fabrics. Fabrics made of TENCEL™ Modal and Lyocell fibers are also gentle on skin with smooth, long-lasting softness, color vibrancy, and color retention features. TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers are versatile and can be combined with a wide range of textile fibers to enhance the aesthetics and functionality of fabrics. Through moisture management, TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers can also absorb moisture efficiently. A variant of the Lyocell production process also produces the TENCEL™ Luxe branded lyocell filament, which is an extremely fine filament yarn for luxury fabrics and supremely smooth to the touch. Exhibiting high flexibility, TENCEL™ Modal fibers enhance textiles with a naturally soft quality. Offering endless design possibilities, TENCEL™ Modal fibers can be blended with other fibers and processed using conventional machinery, significantly improving the softness and comfort of fabrics.

Fibers used under the TENCEL™ brand are derived from certified and controlled sources following the stringent guidelines of the Lenzing Wood and Pulp Policy. Namely, TENCEL™ Modal and TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers, both cellulosic fibers are produced via environmentally responsible production processes and are compostable and biodegradable, thus can fully revert back to nature. TENCEL™ Modal and TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers are designated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) BioPreferred® Program.