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CLIMATE POSITIVE AND SUSTAINABLE FIBRES

EU BAT Benchmarking Assessment for Viscose manufacturers
BluWin Limited > Climate Positive and Sustainable Fibres

INDUSTRY CHALLENGES

Viscose, a man-made fiber produced from cellulose (e.g. wood pulp), has increasingly been used in the fashion industry over recent years. The material has a silk-like feeling, a low HIGG MSI (Material Sustainability Index) and a lower environmental impact from fibre to fabric production as compared to cotton. At the same time, it is comes at an attractive price. However, the production process of viscose raised concerns of NGOs and consumers due to sustainability issues related to deforestation, toxic chemicals such as carbon disulphide, air pollution and wastewater discharge. As a response, many brands and retailers have set roadmaps towards responsible viscose and modal fibre manufacturing as part of the sustainability frameworks. Viscose suppliers globally have responded to the call for more responsible production.

PROJECT GOAL

Sustainable Textile Solutions developed a methodology to benchmark the viscose production process and environmental performance indicators against EU BAT (EU Best Available Techniques), also referred to as BREF’s (EU Best Available Techniques Reference). The scope of the assessment encompasses emission and consumption levels as well as end-of-pipeline solutions.

RESULTS

Since 2016, Sustainable Textile Solutions has been approached by several man-made fibre (viscose) suppliers to benchmark their current environmental performance against EU BATs and identify further opportunities towards their strategic objectives. During the initial visits opportunities were identified in comparison to industrial Best Practices.

The most challenging aspect for viscose producers are related to achieving necessary improvements under local conditions, in particular in developing countries.

An example of the collaboration between STS and the viscose manufacturer is Sateri. Read more about the collaboration here

https://www.sateri.com/news_events/two-more-sateri-mills-confirmed-eu-bat-compliant/