The flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group and part of Grasim Industries Limited, Birla Cellulose has won the Golden Peacock Global Award for Sustainability 2020. This award is given for achievements, global leadership and continuous improvements in sustainability in the international textile and apparel sector.

This award was started in 1991by the Institute of Directors (IOD) and is renowned globally for corporate excellence. It is given annually and acknowledges the achievements and performance of well-performing organizations. The award helps to catalyze the performance and tells about the reputation of the company in terms of depth, transparency, and impartiality of the assessment process.

The independent assessors and finally by a grand jury accessed the applications at 3 levels. This year the chairperson of the Golden Peacock Awards jury was former Chief Justice of India, former Chairman, National Human Rights Commission of India, and National Commission for Constitution of India Reforms and Honourable Justice M. N. Venkatachaliah.

Managing Director, Grasim Industries and Business Director, Birla Cellulose, Aditya Birla Group, Mr. Dilip Gaur said that in building sustainable businesses being capable of consistently delivering the best performance on the environmental level, the Golden Peacock Global Award is a testament to their vision. In the virtual award ceremony, he said that the core of their business strategy is sustainability. Their vision is to become the global leader in sustainable business practices among the global leaders in the man-made cellulosic fiber (MMCF) industry.

To recycle and conserve natural resources, their sites use environmentally efficient technologies and closed-loop processes. He also said that in the country where they operate, they are going beyond regulatory norms and at all the fiber sites in Birla Cellulose, the most stringent EU BAT environmental norms are applied.

Chief Executive Officer and Director, Institute of Directors, Mr. Manoj K. Raut said that in the present time, the presence of Grasim Industries Limited, Birla Cellulose, Pulp & Fibre Business is in many countries. MMCF being their main product, they are also following sustainable forestry initiatives like FSC®, PEFCTM and SFI®. Among this industry, these initiatives are very unique. From raw material sourcing to the distribution of the final product, the entire manufacturing process has been revamped. This has been done in accordance with the principles of sustainability and has set a certain benchmark.

In sustainable sourcing practices, Birla Cellulose leads the industry. For sustainable forestry practices and the development of next-generation solutions for alternative feedstock,  it also has been ranked number 1 by the Canopy’s Hot Button Report 2020. The lowest water consumption in viscose fiber production is also led by Birla Cellulose. By late 2021, the Nagda site is being built up to become the first MMCF site in the world to achieve a zero liquid discharge (ZLD) site. The new generation of innovative products which are manufactured by Birla Cellulose like Birla Excel (lyocell), Livaeco, Birla Spunshades and Liva Reviva are also designed with sustainable features. GreenTrackTM, a blockchain-based traceability tool by Birla Cellulose has also become the most used tool for establishing traceability of garments from forest to fashion.