Responsible Viscose

A manmade cellulosic fibre, viscose originates from wood and shares its origins with acetate, lyocell, modal and cupro.
The production of viscose contributes to deforestation, destroying precious ecosystems and biodiversity, putting species, communities and our climate at risk.

Each year more than 200 million trees are logged and during the chemically intensive pulp dissolving process, approximately 70% of the tree is wasted. What’s more, only 20% of the worlds ancient forests now remain intact.
We understand how important it is to safeguard the world’s forests, its species and ecosystems. Eliminating ancient and endangered forests from our supply chains was an important first step and our work to substitute generic viscose with more responsible alternatives has been guided by Canopy’s Hot Button Ranking report.

Each year Canopy ranks viscose producers on their ability to protect forests, which includes a third-party verification audit, a policy commitment not to source from Ancient and Endangered Forests, while ensuring traceable and transparent sourcing practices and progressive chemical management.

Alongside eliminating deforestation, responsible chemical management plays an equally important role in responsible viscose production. The fibre production process – where the wood pulp is converted into fibre – is chemically intensive and without robust responsible production systems, the pollution of chemicals in wastewater and air emissions can harm workers and local communities.

LENZING™ ECOVERO™ branded Viscose fibres are the new standard in responsible viscose production. Sourced from FSC® and PEFC™ certified forests, the manufacture of LENZING™ ECOVERO™ fibres has a low environmental impact, generating up to 50% lower emissions and water impact compared to generic viscose. LENZING™ and ECOVERO™ are trademarks of Lenzing AG.

Sourced from FSC certified forests, LivaEco by Birla Cellulose™ production has low environmental impact with low water consumption and low carbon emissions with fully traceability verification at each stage of production.

FSC works to take care of the world’s forests by meeting the social, ecological, and economic rights and needs of the present generation without compromising those of future generations. Responsible forest management, as promoted by FSC, maintains and enhances biodiversity and ecological processes. It aims to protect the rights of workers, communities, and Indigenous Peoples while respecting the economic viability of forest management operations.

FSC’s primary remit is focused on the responsible cultivation of forest-based materials, so we only work with pulp dissolving mills who follow industry best practice standards to ensure the responsible management and treatment of chemicals.