Aditya Birla

The Aditya Birla Group owner of Grasim Industries and Birla Cellulose

Mumbai, India

26.5/35

Completion of CanopyStyle Third Party Verification Audits

Undertaking Annual Audits

Audits Public and Results Acted On

Audit risk results

Contribution to Conservation Legacies

A&E promotion

n/a

Public Collaborative Leadership

Influences Decision Makers

Legislated protection

Innovation via New Alternative Fibers

Partnerships

R&D Investments

Scaling to commercial products

Targets & timelines

Aggressively increasing commercial scale

n/a

Adoption of Robust Forest Sourcing Policy

Policy adoption

Policy meets all CanopyStyle criteria

Traceability & Transparency

COC & supplier list completed

Track & trace system in place

Public sharing of supplier list

Forest of origin is public and mapped

Leaders in Supply Chain Shifts & Sustainable Sourcing

Producer Is Proactive

FSC preference

Forest Mapper support

Associated with High Risk of Sourcing from Ancient & Endangered Forests and other Controversial Sources

Risk is known and no action is taken

n/a

Initial action taken to adress risk

n/a

Sourcing risk has been resolved

Total:

Buttons 26.5

Risk of sourcing from Ancient & Endangered forests

Birla is one of the first viscose producers to complete and publicly release the results of its CanopyStyle Audit, which confirmed that the risk of sourcing wood from ancient and endangered forests or other controversial sources was low.

Building on this achievement and recognizing that the audits create opportunities for ongoing improvements and only capture a snapshot in time, the company’s second CanopyStyle audit is currently in progress. Surprise (short-notice) site visits are taking place as part of the audit process.

The company owns a mill in the heart of Ancient and Endangered forests in Canada’s Boreal. This mill is producing pulp for paper and tissue products currently. Birla is showing conservation leadership by forwarding conservation planning in this region with Canopy while maintaining options for solutions to be finalized.

In 2019, Birla and Canopy explored solutions for an area of intact forest 1.1 million hectares in size, equivalent to 1/3 of the country of Belgium. Both organizations support conservation thresholds of 50%-70%, while enabling and maintaining economic development in the region and forwarding the self-governance, rights and title of First Nations on their traditional territory.

To support ongoing work, Birla has committed budget in 2020 for this area as well as budgeting for and supporting FSC certification in other forests within Aditya Birla’s fibre basket.

Key Improvements Required

Birla Cellulose is encouraged to continue to progress on their sustainability practices including:

  • As it works on future expansion plans and new ventures, we recommend that the company move quickly to have 80-100% of new production capacity originate from Next Generation Solution feedstock.
  • To prioritize the development of products that meet or surpass the current market expectation for viscose products containing at least 50% Next Generation raw material input.
  • To continue to show distinct leadership among global viscose producers by finalizing scientifically-based conservation solutions and forwarding the Free, Prior and Informed Consent of indigenous and local communities in Ancient and Endangered Forests within the company’s direct influence.

Areas where the company is showing leadership

Birla Cellulose has shown continuous leadership over the last number of years, as they have:

  • Senior level commitment, prioritization of resources and financial investment to advance landscape level conservation in Ancient and Endangered Forests in Canada’s Boreal.
  • The public launch and successful production of a new line of viscose staple fibre made from 20% pre-consumer recycled cotton textiles, and a commitment towards products made from 50% innovative alternative fibre input, and post-consumer inputs by the end of 2020.
  • Continue to use ForestMapper to ensure future expansion plans and ventures are not located in Ancient and Endangered Forests.
  • Mapped out high level strategy and goals to move forward supply chain shifts, at a senior company level.
  • Developed new traceability program supported by brands and supply chain partners.
  • Joined the ZDHC Roadmap to Zero Programme as a contributor.
  • Updated the Birla Cellulose Global Wood Fibre Sourcing Policy to include a preference for FSC, timelines and targets for the use of alternative raw materials and a commitment to use Forest Mapper to screen new supply partnerships and expansion projects.

Number of viscose, lyocell and dissolving pulp mills + location and production volumes

The company owns seven viscose mills and four dissolving pulp mills. In addition, the company owns one plantation associated with a projected dissolving pulp mill in Laos, the company has plans to build a new viscose facility in Turkey, and it owns a paper pulp mill in Canada that is planned for a conversion to dissolving pulp.

  • Nagda in Madhya Pradesh, India.
  • Harihar, Karnataka, India.
  • Kharach, Gujarat, India.
  • Vilayat – Gujarat, India

These four mills in India have a combined production capacity of 498000 tonnes of viscose staple fibre.

  • Birla Jingwei Fibers Company Limited, China. Capacity 70 000 tonnes of Viscose Staple fibre.
  • Indo-Bharat Rayon, Indonesia. Capacity 200 000 tonnes of Viscose Staple fibre.
  • Thai Rayon, Thailand. Capacity 140 000 tonnes of Viscose Staple fibre.
  • Turkey (projected capacity of 180 000 tonnes of Viscose Staple fibre).
  • AV Cell, New Brunswick, Canada. Capacity 130 000 tonnes of dissolving pulp.
  • AV Nackawic, New Brunswick, Canada. Capacity 190 000 tonnes of dissolving pulp.
  • Domsjö Fabriker AB in Sweden. Capacity 255 000 tonnes of dissolving pulp.
  • Birla Cellulose, Harihar, Karnataka, India. Capacity 70 000 tonnes of dissolving pulp.
  • Birla Lao Pulp and Plantation Limited in Laos. (Projected capacity of 200 000 tonnes of dissolving pulp).
  • AV Terrace Bay, Ontario, Canada. (To be converted to dissolving pulp in the future, capacity of 408 250 tonnes).
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