MUMBAI – Indian business Grasim Industries has become the first viscose staple fibre (VSF) manufacturer to achieve certification of the Gold level Material Health Certificate from the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute. The business, part of the US$43bn Aditya Birla Group, earned the award for its Birla Spunshades viscose staple fibre.
Birla Spunshades, a USDA Biobased certified product, is made with coloured spun-dyed viscose fibre and a technique that embeds the colour pigments into the fibre itself, resulting in a colour that fully saturates the fibre. Spun-dyed viscose fibres are designed to eliminate conventional fabric dyeing and washing-off steps leading to huge water conservation.
The fibre was assessed against the criteria of the Material Health category in the Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Standard and earned a Gold level Material Health Certificate from the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.
Headquartered in San Francisco, California USA, the institute is a non-profit organisation that administers the publicly available Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Standard.
To achieve certification, materials and products must be assessed across five sustainability categories: material health, material reutilization, renewable energy and carbon management, water stewardship, and social fairness. The certificate is valid for two years, after which manufacturers must demonstrate their work to further better their products for recertification.
Mr. Dilip Gaur, managing director, Grasim Industries said: “We are the first VSF manufacturer to get this certification, a truly great achievement by the Grasim team. This is yet another milestone in our sustainability journey. It reaffirms that sustainability is at the core of our business strategy. At Grasim, continuously striving for manufacturing excellence and focussing on sustainable production is a never ending journey. Having been certified Gold our aspirations is to reach for Platinum.”
Mr. Rajeev Gopal, chief marketing officer, Pulp and Fibre Business, Grasim Industries added: “Material Health Certificate for Birla Spunshades from Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute will enhance the goodwill that our brand enjoys among our customers.”
“This certification confirms that viscose fibre is made for closed-loop systems with its natural origin & will enhance the confidence of the value chain players in delivering sustainable products,” added Ajay Sardana, chief sustainability officer of Grasim Industries.