Almost two years ago Lenzing CEO Stefan Doboczky announced the company’s goal to reduce its CO2 emissions by 50 percent till 2030 and be completely CO2 neutral in 2050. An ambitious target, which can only be achieved if the measures taken to improve processes, a sustainable circular economy, transparency in the supply chain and measures which go beyond legal requirements.
Now Lenzing is setting a new benchmark with a completely new offering for VEOCEL™ brand lyocell fiber, delivering a product that is more representative of its overall strategy than any other: it will be the industry’s first carbon neutral fiber. With the new range of VEOCEL™ Lyocell fibres, it enables its partners in the nonwovens and branded goods industries to reduce their own impact on the climate by using fibres with a net zero-reduced carbon footprint.
As a brand that has been dedicated to offering products based on renewable material wood, derived from sustainably managed forests, VEOCEL™ is leading by example, making significant strides in achieving new certification standards and now also reinforcing Lenzing’s commitments to carbon neutrality.
“At Lenzing, we are very proud of the progress we have been making to address climate change,” said Robert van de Kerkhof, Member of the Board of Lenzing. “The new carbon neutral VEOCEL™ Lyocell fibers will play a big role in contributing to our goal to become a net-zero company by 2050. At Lenzing, we understand that caring for the environment isn’t just good business, but good for the business. That is why we are becoming even more dedicated to effecting real change to the industry as we come out of the COVID-19 pandemic, and embrace climate protection through our zero carbon commitments and ongoing innovations.”
Certified CarbonNeutral® product for climate protection
As of June 2021, VEOCEL™ Lyocell fibers are available as certified CarbonNeutral® products with a carbon footprint reduced to net-zero in accordance with The CarbonNeutral Protocol. Achieving certified carbon neutrality was the result of Lenzing’s ambitious carbon reduction efforts over the last years and the collaboration with Natural Capital Partners, a recognized global leader in the design, development and delivery of corporate climate action programmes. Together it was possible to reduce carbon emissions to net-zero through a mix of higher production efficiencies, use of renewable energy sources, low-carbon materials and the dedicated support of an external nature-based carbon removal project. These VEOCEL™ branded fibers reinforce Lenzing’s commitment to the Science Based Targets initiative around reduction of total global carbon emissions, a quest driven by the UN Paris Agreement.
“The first step in taking action, is understanding the problem at hand,” said Jürgen Eizinger, Vice President of Global Management Nonwovens at Lenzing. “The VEOCEL™ brand is committed to making the shift to carbon neutrality an ongoing effort. Emission from raw materials is often the biggest part of a product or corporate footprint. To reduce these indirect emissions, a company can either avoid such a material or depend on its value chain to deliver new climate friendly solutions. With our new offer of carbon neutral VEOCEL™ Lyocell fibers, we can certainly help our partners and customers reduce their emission impact.”
Partnering for Change
Consumers are holding their brands to higher standards when it comes to carbon neutrality and climate friendly products. As an ingredient brand, VEOCEL™ is committed to guiding and partnering with retailers, brands and the nonwoven industry toward improving the carbon footprint and environmental impact of raw materials and products. Materials and goods produced with VEOCEL™ Lyocell fibers certified as CarbonNeutral® products will benefit from a specially developed VEOCEL™ “climate care” logo. The VEOCEL™ “climate care” initiative signifies Lenzing’s commitment to offer climate friendly solutions to limit global warming, reduce its carbon footprint and engage with partners along the supply chain to provide more sustainable nonwovens solutions.
“With the newly minted VEOCEL™ ‘climate care’ logo, we hope to build a connection between brands and consumers. When consumers see products with the ‘climate care’ logo on the packaging, they shall be able to recognize that the product is made of VEOCEL™ Lyocell fibers which have a neutral impact on our climate. This will not only give them confidence about making more informed, eco-conscious purchase decisions, but also reassure that they are taking a proactive step to tackle climate change,” added Eizinger.
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