Birla Cellulose has achieved Number One ranking in Canopy’s Hot Button Report 2023 for its commitment to conserve Ancient and Endangered Forests and promote circular solutions. The company has received the highest rating of 'Dark Green Shirt' for the fourth consecutive year.

Canopy, an environment focussed not-for-profit entity, has released its annual Hot Button Report, which enables fashion brands and retailers to robustly assess suppliers of Man-Made Cellulosic Fibres (MMCF) for their forest fibre sourcing.

Commenting on the ranking, Mr H.K. Agarwal, Managing Director, Grasim Industries Ltd., and Business Director Birla Cellulose, said: “This esteemed recognition serves as confirmation of Birla Cellulose's steadfast dedication and commitment to improve sustainable wood sourcing practices, forest conservation, innovation, next-generation fiber solutions, and transparent operations across the entire value chain.”

Birla Cellulose, along with other global MMCF producers, has also supported calls for implementation of the Conventional on Biological Diversity’s commitment to conserve at least 30% of terrestrial ecosystems by 2030. The company actively collaborates with brands and supply chain partners, innovators, and orchestrators such as Canopy, Fashion for Good, and Circular Fashion Partnership for scaling up circularity.

"A hearty congratulations to Aditya Birla for securing the top spot in Canopy’s 2023 Hot Button Report,” said Nicole Rycroft, Canopy’s Executive Director. “We commend their hard work to remove Ancient and Endangered Forests from the MMCF supply chain and are encouraged by their consistent progress to bring Next Gen fibres to market at scale.”

Canopy's Hot Button Report is the go-to resource for brands and retailers in the fashion industry when it comes to ensuring that they are sourcing from MMCF producers who are eliminating the risks related to biodiversity loss and deforestation in their supply chain. The importance of environmentally friendly business practices in the textile industry has indeed gained a significant amount of traction as more than 550 global brands are looking to source from 'green shirt' producers.

The brands in question have combined annual revenues of over US $1 trillion, so this commitment from the brands can be viewed as a huge step in the right direction. The ranking of 'dark green shirt producer' is one that has gained an impressive amount of popularity amongst brands and signifies the highest level of implementation of CanopyStyle requirements for Ancient and Endangered Forest conservation, transparency, Traceability and next-generation solutions.

Birla Cellulose, the pulp and fibre business of the Aditya Birla Group, is a leading sustainability focused MMCF producer. Birla Cellulose operates 12 sites for pulp and fibre manufacturing that apply environmentally efficient closed-loop technologies including recycled materials and enhanced conservation of natural resources. Its five global advanced research centres are equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and pilot plants. Birla Cellulose’s fibres are made from renewable wood and are produced using a closed-loop process with significantly lower carbon emissions and lower resource consumption.

Birla Cellulose collaborates actively with its upstream and downstream partners to create a bigger and broader positive impact on the sustainability of its value chain.

www.birlacellulose.com