Aditya Birla

Aditya Birla (The Aditya Birla Group owner of Grasim Industries and Birla Cellulose) Viscose staple fibre

Mumbai, India

Next
Gen
33
2
LR
shim
Low risk

1. Completion of CanopyStyle Third Party Verification Audits

1.1 Undertaking Annual Audits

1.2 Audits Public and Results Acted On

1.3 Audit Risk Results

2. Contribution to Conservation Legacies

2.1 International Targets

2.2 Public Collaborative Leadership

2.3 Influences Decision Makers

2.4 Legislated Protection

2.5 Extra Respon­sibilities

3. Innovation via New Alternative Fibers

3.1 Partnerships

3.2 R&D Investments

3.3 Scaling to Commercial Products

3.4 Targets & Timelines

3.5 Contributing to Collective Goal

3.6 Aggressively Increasing Commercial Scale

n/a

4. Adoption of Robust Forest Sourcing Policy

4.1 Policy Adoption

4.2 Policy Meets All CanopyStyle Criteria

5. Traceability, Transparency, and Sustainable Sourcing

5.1 Using the Dissolving Pulp Classification

5.2 Track & Trace System In-Place

5.3 Public Sharing of Supplier List

5.4 Proactive Sourcing Decisions

6. Leaders in Supply Chain Shifts

6.1 Proactive Sourcing Decisions

6.2 FSC Preference

6.3 Forest Mapper Support

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

7.1 Risk Is Known and No Action Is Taken

n/a

7.2 Initial Action Taken to Address Risk

7.3 Sourcing Risk Has Been Resolved

Total:

Buttons 33

Chemical Management

The Producer Is Addressing the Pollution Originated by the Chemical Substances Used During the MMCF Production Process. It Has Joined a Credible Initiative That Advances Solutions on Chemical Management.

The producer is implementing, for all of its sites, pollution control technologies to limit their impact, developing an approach for the recovery of substances used or generated during the production of MMCF.

ZDHC Responsible Fibre Production Guidelines ZDHC Wastewater Guidelines (evaluated in 2020, worth 3 points) ZDHC Air Emissions Guidelines.

Total:

2 Points

Risk of sourcing from Ancient and Endangered Forests

In October 2020, Birla completed and publicly released the results of its second CanopyStyle Audit, which confirms that the risk of sourcing wood from Ancient and Endangered Forests or other controversial sources remains low. A CanopyStyle Audit will be required in 2022.

The company owns a mill in the heart of Ancient and Endangered Forests in Canada’s Boreal, which provides a strong responsibility and opportunity for forest conservation. This mill is currently producing pulp for non-apparel uses.

The company has agreed to scenarios with Canopy that propose to conserve approximately 70% of key Ancient and Endangered Forests, and the advancement of FSC certification in sourcing tenures – while maintaining the harvesting opportunities critical to First Nations and local communities. Until lasting conservation solutions are legislated and regulated with support from governments, and the Free, Prior and Informed Consent of First Nations, the future for these Ancient and Endangered Forests remains uncertain. That said, Aditya Birla continues to move conservation solutions forward through its relationships with its suppliers and maintain space for solutions through procurement decisions.

Key Improvements Required

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

  • To continue to show distinct leadership among global viscose producers by helping secure government’s finalization of scientifically-based conservation solutions and forwarding the Free, Prior and Informed Consent of Indigenous communities in Ancient and Endangered Forests within the company’s direct influence.
  • Continue to use ForestMapper and complementary guidance documents such as the Dissolving Pulp Mill Classification to ensure no sourcing from Ancient and Endangered Forests.
  • Prioritize the integration and sourcing of Next Generation Solution technologies and feedstocks for future expansion plans and new suppliers.
  • Accelerate the use of Next Generation fibre solutions in order to meet or exceed the targets outlined in the Next Generation Vision for Viscose: 50% by 2030. 
  • Where virgin fibres are used and they are not coming from key priority Ancient and Endangered Forests, procure higher volumes of FSC 100% certified inputs from sources that have achieved FSC Forest Management certification on the ground.

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 as described above.
  • Senior level commitment and allocation of resources to further develop products containing Next Generation fibre solutions, including a public commitment to increase the scale of its Liva Reviva product line to 100,000 tons by 2024. Brand uptake of Liva Reviva will play an important role in reinforcing this expansion, and Birla is capable of expanding production based on demand.
  • The company has updated Standard Operating Procedures for pulp procurement as well as processes related to research and development of Next Generation fibres to embed Canopy and our risk verification tools into decision-making and strategy. Thereby, committing to continued use of ForestMapper and the Dissolving Pulp Mill Classification to ensure future expansion plans and ventures are not located in Ancient and Endangered Forests.
  • The company provided a letter to support conservation solutions in key priority Ancient and Endangered Forests in 2021.

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

Birla produces a lyocell fibre with 20% pre-consumer recycled cotton called Liva Reviva.

The company owns eight viscose mills and four dissolving pulp mills. In addition, it owns a pulp mill, currently not feeding into the MMCF supply chain, in Canada’s Boreal Forest that has significant influence to forward lasting conservation in Ancient and Endangered Forests and forward FSC certification.

Viscose mills include:

  • Birla Jingwei Fibers Company Limited, China. Capacity 88 000 tonnes of Viscose Staple fibre.
  • Indo-Bharat Rayon, Indonesia. Capacity 210 000 tonnes of Viscose Staple fibre.
  • Thai Rayon, Thailand. Capacity 140 000 tonnes of Viscose Staple fibre.
  • Nagda in Madhya Pradesh, India.
  • Harihar, Karnataka, India.
  • Kharach, Gujarat, India.
  • Vilayat – Gujarat, India.
  • Indian Rayon, Gujarat, India. (VSY)

The five mills in India have a combined production capacity of 714 000 tonnes of viscose staple fibre.

And the following five mills produce dissolving pulp:

  • AV Cell, New Brunswick, Canada. Capacity 130 000 tonnes of dissolving pulp.
  • AV Nackawic, New Brunswick, Canada. Capacity 190 000 tonnes of dissolving pulp.
  • Domsjo Fabriker AB in Sweden. Capacity 255 000 tonnes of dissolving pulp.
  • Birla Cellulose, Harihar, Karnataka, India. Capacity 74 000 tonnes of dissolving pulp.
  • AV Terrace Bay, Ontario, Canada (currently producing pulp for non-apparel uses, capacity of 340 000 tonnes).
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