Aditya Birla

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

Mumbai, India

33
1
LR
shim
Low risk

Completion of CanopyStyle Third Party Verification Audits

Undertaking Annual Audits

Audits Public and Results Acted On

Audit risk results

Contribution to Conservation Legacies

International Targets

Public Collaborative Leadership

Influences Decision Makers

Legislated protection

Extra Respon­sibilities

Innovation via New Alternative Fibers

Partnerships

R&D Investments

Scaling to commercial products

Targets & timelines

Contributing to Collective Goal

Aggressively Increasing Commercial Scale

n/a

Adoption of Robust Forest Sourcing Policy

Policy adoption

Policy meets all CanopyStyle criteria

Traceability, Transparency, and Sustainable Sourcing

Using the Dissolving Pulp Classification

Track & trace system in place

Public sharing of supplier list

Proactive sourcing decisions

Leaders in Supply Chain Shifts

Proactive Sourcing Decisions

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 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. (worth 2 points)

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:

1 Point

Risk of sourcing from Ancient & 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. Short notice audits will resume across all CanopyStyle Audits when necessary Covid related restrictions are lifted.

The company owns a mill in the heart of the Ancient and Endangered Forests in Canada’s Boreal, which provides a strong responsibility and opportunity for forest conservation. This mill is producing paper grade pulp. 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 has invested substantially in conservation solutions and is a key stakeholder poised to use their significant influence to create socioeconomic and ecological certainty in the region.

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.
  • Consider signing on to the Next Generation Vision for Viscose and accelerating the use of Next Generation Fibre Solutions in order to meet or exceed the targets outlined in the Vision: 20% by 2021, and 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.
  • Prioritize the integration and sourcing of Next Generation Solution technologies and feedstocks for future expansion plans and new suppliers. At a minimum, continue to use ForestMapper and complementary guidance documents such as the advice note of Ancient and Endangered Forests and the Dissolving Pulp Classification to ensure no sourcing from Ancient and Endangered Forests.

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 development products containing next generation fibre solutions.
  • The public launch and successful production in 2019 of a new line of viscose staple fibre made from 20% pre-consumer recycled cotton textiles (Liva Reviva), and a commitment towards products made from 50% innovative alternative fibre input, and post-consumer inputs by the end of 2020.
  • Continues to use ForestMapper to ensure future expansion plans and ventures are not located in Ancient and Endangered Forests.
Produces Liva Reviva, a fibre with 20% pre-consumer recycled cotton.

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

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.

Produces Liva Reviva, a fibre with 20% pre-consumer recycled cotton.

  • Nagda, Madhya Pradesh, India
  • Harihar, Karnataka, India
  • Kharach, Gujarat, India
  • Vilayat, Gujarat, India
  • Indian Rayon, Gujarat, India

These five mills in India have a combined production capacity of 519,300 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, project currently paused).
  • 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, Sweden. Capacity 255 000 tonnes of dissolving pulp.
  • Birla Cellulose, Harihar, Karnataka, India. Capacity 70 000 tonnes of dissolving pulp.
  • AV Terrace Bay, Ontario, Canada (currently producing kraft pulp for non-MMCF uses, capacity of 340,000 tonnes).
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