The audit confirms that with Lenzing products there is only a very low risk of using wood from primeval forests that are particularly worthy of protection and endangered forests or other controversial sources. The Canadian non-profit environmental organization Canopy and the external auditor NEPCon published the results of an independent audit of the pulp procurement of the Lenzing Group on October 6th. The audit report on the manufacturer of TENCEL ™ Viscose, TENCEL ™ Modal, TENCEL ™ Lyocell and TENCEL ™ Lyocell fibers with REFIBRA ™ technology confirms the industry-leading low procurement risk for wood from pristine or endangered forests or other controversial sources. Lenzing has a total of seven production sites. The pulp procurement for all locations is carried out by the Group’s own trading company, which obtains over 60 percent of the pulp required from its own production in Austria and the Czech Republic; the rest is bought on the world market.
The audit again assessed the risk of wood procurement from primeval forests that are particularly worthy of protection and endangered forests or other controversial sources as “low”. This evaluation is based on a detailed examination of the standard processes in the company for the implementation of its guidelines and for the procurement of raw materials. In addition, the auditors also paid a previously announced surprise visit to the production facilities Biocel Paskov in the Czech Republic and South Pacific Viscose in Indonesia.
“Lenzing was again classified in the ‘low risk’ category in its second CanopyStyle audit – we would like to congratulate the company on this,” said Nicole Rycroft, Executive Director of Canopy. “Lenzing has again shown that it fulfills the requirements set by the CanopyStyle initiative in an exemplary manner and that it has a solid foundation to integrate new solutions and progressive developments for the preservation of forests into its business processes.”
“For Lenzing, maintaining a continuous dialogue with Canopy was a targeted strategic decision – we want to continuously improve our sustainable procurement practices, be verified by an independent body and thus make our contribution to the protection of global forests,” explains Stefan Doboczky, CEO of the Lenzing Group.
“NEPCon is proud to act as an independent auditor for the CanopyStyle initiative and thus to contribute to the protection of primeval and endangered forests,” says Jon Jickling, Director of NEPCon Solutions. “Evaluating and documenting the long-term efforts of companies that, like Lenzing, have committed to the CanopyStyle audit and a sustainable procurement policy is a great job.”
The main results of the audit:
- It was confirmed that the risk of sourcing raw materials from primeval forests and endangered forests or other controversial sources that are particularly worthy of protection can be classified as low in Lenzing’s current pulp supply chain.
- Lenzing discloses all pulp manufacturers in its supply chain in a comprehensive and transparent way.
- The company uses its influence to preserve forests worthy of protection and to promote the production of cellulose fibers from alternative fiber sources on a commercial scale.
For the future, Canopy recommends the company:
- Training of senior executives at all pulp production sites about Lenzing’s group-wide efforts to exclude any raw material procurement from primeval forests, endangered forests or other controversial sources, as well as training to raise awareness of the importance of setting clear operational standards in addition to FSC certification [1] .
- A significant and rapid expansion of the use of alternative fibers of the next generation and the adherence to the public commitment and the schedule for the introduction of a product line in which these fibers contain a minimum proportion of recycled cellulose of at least 50 percent.
- Continuation of the use of guides such as Canopy’s “ForestMapper”, which provides information on virgin and endangered forests, as well as Canopy’s categorization of pulp producers for risk assessment for pulp.
Continuation of the preferred certification according to the FSC ® standard by increasing the proportion of FSC ® certified fibers with a focus on fibers whose raw materials are obtained from FSC ® certified forests (FSC ® 100%). This audit evaluates the current situation and shows further possibilities for optimization, according to the company’s claim to continuously improve. The results will be included in the evaluation of the Hot Button Ranking 2020.
