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As fashion brands and consumers become more aware of their environmental impact, they are continuously intrigued by what goes into the product and what happened in the supply chain before the product gets put onto the shelves. The quest for transparency from both the industry and brands have never been higher as they look for ways to prove and share their sustainable practices and build trust with consumers.
According to Caroline Ledl, Head of Global Product and Application Management, Lenzing AG, transparency plays a key role alongside sustainability in the business. “At Lenzing, sustainability and transparency go hand in hand. One cannot just say they’re planet-conscious without being also transparent. It is really not only about which raw materials you use or which production processes but looking at the overall processes and the life cycle of a product until the consumer. As the market looks more and more into topics of transparency and requests proof points on sustainability whether its products or the way they are made, it’s really important for us to be able to show true transparency from the beginning until the end of the product.”
As the first cellulosic fiber producer to have an approved science-based target towards a future of net-zero carbon emissions, Lenzing has long been the forerunner in pioneering innovative solutions to improve supply chain transparency of within the textile industry. Rooted in the belief that sustainability and transparency go hand in hand, Lenzing’s priority is to drive systemic change and advancing low-impact business practices throughout the whole value chain.
Through the four key pillars of “share-prove-partner-track” as part of its latest ”Transparency comes full circle” Campaign, Lenzing puts transparency at the core of its business. Ensuring visibility and accountability, these guiding principles enable Lenzing’s customers, value chain partners and, consumers to make sustainable business decisions and better choices, to build a more sustainable and transparent supply chain ultimately.
The four-pillar approach starts with Lenzing’s openness in sharing its sustainability credentials which have been proven by third-party industry standards or sustainability and transparency rating schemes to ensure maximum accountability and confidence in the eco-credentials on the product.
Secondly, Lenzing’s fiber identification technology helps partners to prove the authenticity of TENCEL™ fibers that are being used in their products, in turn providing consumers with an added level of assurance and peace of mind that materials are certified with EU Ecolabel for environmental excellence and are produced in facilities that meet high environmental standards.
Thirdly, through Lenzing’s E-Branding Service platform, it would enable customers and partners to apply for certification and licensing for using the TENCEL™ brand which could provide partners the peace of mind and assurance to back up their sustainability credentials, knowing that products made with TENCEL™ fibers are of high standard and are authenticated throughout the supply chain. Lastly, the traceability of Lenzing’s fibers is supported by a third-party, blockchain-enabled digital platform which provide a high level of transparency of the whole fiber journey.
“As we continue to enhance transparency, and traceability within the textile industry, it is also important to work with our value chain partners, consumer brand partners and even consumers to identify ways to advance circularity. We hope that by championing these planet-conscious practices, we can drive systemic change within the textile industry, not only on a fiber level,” added Caroline.
Transparency is a job that’s never done – the four-pillar approach allows Lenzing to perpetually accelerate transparency and accountability of the supply chain. At the same time, Lenzing continues to raise the bar for resource-efficient best practices in driving circularity and reducing carbon footprint while setting further ambitions to improve on biodiversity and conservation solutions, as well as aspects of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the people area.
Through the above approach and continuous strive to raise the bar for responsible practices, Lenzing’s ultimate goal is to enable our customers and supply chain partners to improve their environmental performance and to achieve their sustainability targets.