A new sustainability report released last week by the Lenzing Group says that it’s ‘on track’ to meet all of its sustainability goals and to halve its CO2 emissions by 2030, after having its targets approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative.
Outlined in a 137-page report, the Austrian-based supplier of viscose and lyocell fibers says it’s ‘standing up against business as usual’ and details milestones – and risks – that it faces in order to meet its sustainability goals while at the same time ramping up capacity as it looks to become a carbon neutral operation by 2050.
Lenzing's report also outlines a plethora of efforts to scale up the recycled content in its fibers, to expand the use of blockchain for supply chain transparency, in addition to revealing its plans to help tackle deforestation and biodiversity loss, while at the same time defending its decision to build a new pulp processing facility in Brazil.
How is Lenzing Hitting its Targets?
Lenzing launched its new Tencel™ fibers with no carbon footprint, making it an emission-neutral company. The approach is based on three pillars; reducing the carbon footprint of products, raising awareness among industry professionals, and offsetting unavoidable emissions.
True Carbon Zero is Lenzing's campaign to achieve the reduction of energy consumption, the use of renewable energy and new technologies, and engagement with suppliers to achieve long-term carbon emission eradication.
In 2019, the Lenzing Group made a commitment to drive sustainability and combat climate change. As a result of this commitment, Tencel, Lenzing's flagship brand, launched the first carbon-neutral fibers, which are CarbonNeutral certified, proving that the Austrian manufacturer complies with the guidelines of The CarbonNeutral Protocol.
The production of these new fibers is low-emission and also serves to raise awareness for companies in the industry to reduce energy consumption throughout the supply chain.
The new carbon-neutral fibers offer new sustainable options for the textile and fashion industry and reflect the commitment of Lenzing, which has invested more than 100 million euros to reduce its carbon footprint.
Lenzing Invests 40 Million Euros to Become Greener
The group, which specializes in producing textile fibers, announced in August this year its ecological targets to reduce its CO2 emissions per tonne of pulp and processed fibers by up to 50% by 2030.
The investment involves the expansion of sulphuric acid production through the construction of an air purification and sulfur recovery plant. This is an important milestone in its journey to reach its ecological targets. By 2050, Lenzing is committed to completely stopping generating net CO2 emissions.
In the future, the investment in the production plant will not only make the company more self-sufficient in sulphuric acid production. Still, it will also bring benefits for environmental protection and increase the trust placed in the group.