Mr. Manohar Samuel
President - Marketing Birla Cellulose
VSF is more environment-friendly when compared to cotton
Mr. Manohar Samuel, President - Marketing of Birla Cellulose states the advantages of using Viscose Staple Fiber (VSF) and its sustainable nature with regards to cotton in an exclusive interview with Fibre2Fashion Correspondent Mary Christine Joy.
Synopsis:
Birla Cellulose is the umbrella brand for Aditya Birla, a US$ 40 billion corporation. It has its presence in six countries of the world, and is renowned for its eco-friendly fibres. It is one of the biggest names in the world in the production and export of Viscose Staple Fibre (VSF). Birla Cellulose has played a huge role in making the manmade fibre industry eco-friendly.
Mr. Manohar Samuel is widely travelled man and has immense industry knowledge in the field of manmade fibres. He has dealt with Polyester, Acrylic, Nylon, Cupro, and Polypropylene Fibres in addition to VSF. Other than that, he has been a member of various government task forces like FICCI, 12th Five Year Plan, R&D Plan, etc. for strategy formulation in textiles for India.
Excerpts:
Birla Cellulose is one of the leading names in the field of Viscose Staple Fiber (VSF)? How do you manage to live up to the expectations of the consumers?
We are able to live up to the expectations of our consumers by adhering to the below four strategies:
*Consumer focus - B to C
We take care that our focus on the end consumers is in the right direction
*Customer focus - B to B
We take care that the business firms with whom we collaborate are satisfied with our services
*Innovation
We strive to integrate the latest technologies and innovations in our products and services
*Build bridges for the industry to grow
We take care that the entire industry grows as a unit, and it is not just our individual growth
Where do you think is the market for VSF more active in the current stage? Is the demand more in developing countries or is it more in developed countries?
I think its demand is more with consumers all around the world.
Demand is great in developing countries as they are the production base for the textile industry. Applications like Women's woven wear, Women's knitwear, dress pants, wipes, furnishing have been exceptional for viscose
I would like to quote one of your previous statements - "Like organic food, eco-fashion will become a movement". What makes you think so?
Eco fashion embodies fashion - the key to clothing business and eco friendliness which cares for our future generation. It is relevant for the present and the future. It will surely be a movement.
VSF is known to be an eco-friendly product, despite being a man-made product. Can you explain what makes it eco-friendly?
VSF is bio-degradable and is made from wood pulp, a natural renewable resource, which makes it eco-friendly.
Coming to the process reasons that make it eco-friendly - VSF is believed to last longer than the conventional fibres as it has a great Life Cycle Assessment (LCA.) It makes little use of resources like land, water in production, and downstream processes.
What do you think is more environment friendly - VSF or cotton? Why?
VSF is more environment-friendly when compared to cotton. Below reasons justify the same:
*VSF is seven times more efficient than cotton on land usage and is at least three times more efficient on water conservation
*VSF is a pure form of cellulose.
Do you think that the current industry for manmade fibers is sustainable enough? Or is there room for more improvement?
Yes, I do think that the current industry for manmade fibres is sustainable enough. It is sustainable for reasons of law and would be more for reasons of being great for future generations.
Birla Cellulose is working on traceability for International Brands on the sustainability aspect which gives credibility from cradle to grave.
Is Viscose fashionable as cotton or will the consumers have to compromise on the 'look' factor? How do you rate VSF in terms of comfort?
I would say that viscose and cotton complement each other as much as supplement in a few discernable applications from time to time. They do not give a competition to each other.
Fashion and comfort is the key to viscose. Its functional attributes of luster, fluidity, drape, softness endear to consumers.
Do you suppose the use of VSF will increase in the future? Why do you think so?
Yes, I do think that the use of VSF will increase in the future because of the below reasons:
*It is the fastest growing fibre at 8% CAGR
*Consumers love the functional attribute
*It is natural and eco friendly, and benefits future generations
*It has a great Life Cycle Assessment
If Birla Cellulose had to choose something more in terms of fibers other than VSF, what would that be?
As for now, all I would say is that our research and development is continuously researching on fibres which create a good value proposition for consumers and the value chain. We are hoping to have a break through soon which has this value proposition.
What do you think about greenwashing in the global textile industry? Is it rampant all across the globe? Please let me know your views?
I would like to say about our status in terms of green washing. We believe that water is to be conserved and any product or process that facilitates this is welcome in Birla Cellulose. Birla Spundyed Viscose in knits has been a reinvention for this very reason with additional values of color fastness and consistency. We do not indulge in any sort of green washing.
Published on: 03/02/2014
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.
