ManMohan Singh
Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Birla Cellulose
Circularity is the biggest trend in fashion and apparel
Birla Cellulose is a leading sustainability focused man-made cellulosic fibre (MMCF) producer, and operates 12 sites for pulp and fibre manufacturing that apply environmentally efficient closed loop technologies including recycle materials and enhanced conservation of natural resources. In an interview with Fibre2Fashion, CMO ManMohan Singh talks about circularity, the company’s new product, its Canopy ranking, and participation in trade fairs like Premier Vision Paris and Bharat Tex 2024.
How do you see the global MMCF industry evolving in the next five years, particularly with respect to sustainability practices?
We are expecting a shift in global man-made cellulosic fibre (MMCF) consumption, driven by a higher adoption by global apparel brands. Circular fashion will be also high on the agenda, with the MMCF industry poised to consume an estimated 10 per cent of global textile waste (10 million tons) as alternate feedstock to make sustainable and circular MMCF fibre through sustainable manufacturing standards.
In your perspective, what are the major challenges and opportunities facing the MMCF industry in India, and how can these impact the global textile market?
Immediate key challenge is lower retail demand in the international market (EU and US) due to high inflation, high rate of interest and geopolitical disturbances. This also resulted in dumping of VSF yarn from external markets causing a double whammy for textile value chain, especially spinners, and it has put severe pressure on the profitability. We expect the global/regional uncertainty to persist through in first half of 2024 (recession/inflation due to war, geo-politics, energy crisis etc) and hence FY24 appears to be a year of subdued market conditions and profitability.
What trends are currently shaping the MMCF industry worldwide, and how do you think they will influence future innovations and market dynamics in this sector?
Circularity is the biggest trend in fashion and apparel and the same is seen widely in MMCF industry worldwide. There are innovators who are working on alternative feedstocks which can be used as raw material for MMCF production, and they hold tremendous potential.
Could you elaborate on any new sustainable products Birla Cellulose is currently developing?
Birla Cellulose has developed and introduced circular MMCF under the brand Liva Reviva. Textile waste is one of the key ingredients used to make the circular fibre. We have also introduced Birla Viscose EcoSoft, which is viscose produced from bamboo pulp.
How is Birla Cellulose advancing the concept of circularity in its manufacturing processes?
We are a leader in MMCF and have pioneered in developing circular fibre using textile waste as key input. We are also best-in-class in manufacturing standards for MMCF with the lowest consumption of water, lowest energy consumption and using green energy to make the fibre.
What does the ‘dark green shirt’ status from Canopy Planet Society signify for Birla Cellulose?
Achieving the 1st position in the 2023 Canopy Report and the 4th consecutive ‘dark green shirt’ signifies our commitment towards producing MMCF from substantiable sources. There are only a few MMCF suppliers that have the coveted ‘dark green shirt’ from Canopy. Considering that globally almost all major brands are aligning their sourcing policies with preference towards suppliers with a ‘dark green shirt’, it is an important achievement for us.
Could you discuss any recent innovations or breakthroughs from your five global advanced research centres?
Our research centres are key pillars to our innovation efforts. All our fibre research centres are centres of excellence in different categories, and they strongly complement our market leadership position. We launched two new products in 2023, which are from the research centres – Birla SaFR – first made in India inherent flame-retardant fibre for technical textiles, and Birla EcoSoft - our first bamboo fibre made in India.
Tell us about your company’s participation in Premier Vision Paris. What do you expect to achieve?
Premier Vision Paris has served as a great platform to showcase our products to global customers. We have received an overwhelming response from the major brands and continue working towards creating superior products for the global text.
What are Birla Cellulose’s strategies for sustainable fibre production, particularly in terms of carbon emissions and resource consumption?
We are leaders in having the highest manufacturing standards in MMCF, compliant with stringent global norms and pride ourselves on being a responsible manufacturer. We use efficient technologies aimed at conserving natural resources, reducing emissions & resource consumption.
As the Platinum Sponsor for Bharat Tex 2024, what role does Aditya Birla Group, particularly Birla Cellulose, played in this event, and how did you leverage this platform to showcase your sustainability initiatives and industry leadership?
We are very proud to be Platinum Sponsor for Bharat Tex 2024. Birla Cellulose showcased the sustainable and circular fibre to the industry and customers, along with full range of MMCF, and leveraged the platform to demonstrate our commitment and capability in developing sustainable and circular fibre for our customers in and outside India.
How does Birla Cellulose plan to maintain its leadership in the MMCF industry amidst growing competition and environmental concerns?
We will continue our efforts to offer the most sustainable MMCF fibre following the best-in-class manufacturing standard that will help protect natural resources and at the same time use circular model to bring textile waste to fibre by offering circular MMCF fibre under Liva Reviva brand.
Can you provide an overview of the future plans or goals for Birla Cellulose, especially in terms of sustainability and market expansion?
Our goal is to make 100,000 tons of circular fibre using textile wastes by 2025 and the fibre can be tracked from source of waste to garment stage through our traceability platform GreenTrack.
Published on: 01/03/2024
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
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