Lenzing commits to sustainable forestry as a climate regulator

“Climate protection and thus the preservation of forests as carbon sinks storing CO2 are two key issues with respect to societal acceptance of the textile and nonwovens industry. In recent years we have contributed to a positive shift in awareness in the industry thanks to our exemplary wood procurement policy based on sustainability principles”, said Stefan Doboczky, CEO of the Lenzing Group on the occasion of the presentation of the new Sustainability Report 2017.

Lenzing proactively supports the improvement of the condition and biodiversity of global forests. LENZING™ fibers derived from sustainable forest management make a global contribution to climate protection due to the storage of CO2 in growing forests but even more by the replacement of less climate-friendly materials made of fossil fuels.

Today the Lenzing Group is already one of the leading companies in the circular economy and with respect to eco-conscious process management in its industry. Now Lenzing has decided to take a major step forward in meeting its high standards by implementing a further substantial reduction of specific emissions1 by the year 2022. A specially designed eco-investment program will be implemented for this purpose. The Lenzing Group aims to have the EU Ecolabel granted for all its production sites.

A further goal of the company is to evaluate the sustainability scorecard of 80 percent of its most important suppliers by 2022.

The Lenzing Group will already optimize the ecological and social sustainability impacts of all its production facilities and ensure widespread transparency by the end of 2019 thanks to its introducing the Higg Facility Environmental Module, an internationally recognized assessment tool. These measures serve as the basis for Lenzing to resolutely implement its sustainability strategy. Key cornerstones of its efforts are the enhancement of the wellbeing of society and people by expanding partnerships in the value chain and with NGOs in addition to sustainable wood sourcing, responsible water management, decarbonization and sustainable innovations.

“We are at the beginning of the value chain and can contribute much to improving the situation thanks to our activities and a maximum level of transparency, especially with partnerships”, stated Lenzing’s Chief Commercial Officer Robert van de Kerkhof. “We will also press ahead even more with the systemic transformation of our industry on the basis of our products, for example by expanding our business with lyocell fibers manufactured in a particularly environmentally responsible manner and innovative solutions such as our REFIBRATM technology which partly uses cotton scraps for fiber production. Consumers can be certain of one thing: when they purchase products with our fibers, this will also translate into a positive contribution to a better world”, van de Kerkhof concludes.