Global viscose giant Aditya Birla has announceed its industry-leading policy to eliminate any sourcing from the world’s ancient and endangered forests for all of its viscose fibres, which are widely used in clothing and textiles, according to a report by Canadian environment NGO Canopy.
The Birla company is the world’s largest producer of viscose, manufacturing 20 per cent of global supply of the material, which is made from wood pulp. The commitment applies to wood and pulp sourcing for all its mills, including those in Canada, Indonesia and China. Aditya Birla worked with Canopy to craft this game-changing policy, which offers new hope for solutions in places like Canada’s Boreal.
“We’re committed to avoiding any endangered forest fibre in our products and are excited to help drive innovation in the development of fabrics made from new fibres that reduce the pressure on the world’s natural forests”, said Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of the Aditya Birla Group. “We and many of our customers in the fashion industry are equally committed to developing sustainable business solutions that help conserve forests and species.”
Aditya Birla’s leadership on this issue positions them as a collaborative partner responding to more than 25 major fashion brands that have developed similar endangered forest commitments with Canopy in the past 18 months. Since 2013, global brands including H&M, Zara/Inditex, Levi Strauss & Co, Marks & Spencer and designers such as Stella McCartney have partnered with Canopy and adopted commitments to phase out endangered forest fibre in their product lines. Aditya Birla’s policy lends significant strength to this growing supply chain shift.
“Aditya Birla’s global forest sourcing criteria sets a high bar for all other producers to meet,” said Nicole Rycroft, Canopy’s founder and executive director. “We’re very excited to continue our collaborative work with the Aditya Birla team as we help them translate this bold policy into action.”
Aditya Birla’s policy includes an immediate commitment not to source fibre from endangered forests or endangered species habitat, such as Indonesia’s tropical forest and Canada’s Boreal Forest, unless meaningful conservation plans are in place.
The company is committed to exploring research and development opportunities for alternative fibre sources and new technologies that reduce environmental impacts and will identify opportunities to support existing conservation solutions, agreements and further new initiatives to advance sustainable sourcing and forest protection.
