Kelheim - Speciality viscose fibre manufacturer Kelheim Fibres has welcomed the preliminary political agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council on an EU regulation on deforestation-free supply chains, which was adopted at the end of 2022.

The new rules are intended to prevent goods that cause forest degradation or deforestation from being placed on the EU market.

As one of the largest economies worldwide, the EU is a major consumer of wood-based raw materials. Therefore, the new law can significantly contribute to reducing global deforestation and forest degradation as well as protecting threatened forest areas.

“Wood is an incredibly versatile and valuable renewable resource and the basis for countless products. Our viscose fibres are just one example – they offer an environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic materials in various applications and are thus a promising material for the future," said Craig Barker, CEO at Kelheim Fibres. "Of course, this only applies if the production of our raw materials does not take place at the expense of our earth's natural forest resources. These forests are a bastion of biodiversity and climate protection for our entire planet and must be protected at all costs. No one can escape this responsibility."

With this in mind, Kelheim Fibres says it has been exclusively using FSC or PEFC certified pulps exclusively from sustainably managed sources for many years and has received a top spot in the HotButton ranking three times in a row. This ranking is compiled annually by the Canadian NGO Canopy that campaigns for the preservation of ancient and endangered forests.

Kelheim's speciality fibres are used in a variety of diverse applications ranging from fashion, hygiene and medical products to nonwovens and speciality papers.

All fibres are fully biodegradable and offer an environmentally sound alternative to petroleum-based materials in a broad range of different end products – while maintaining or even enhancing the functional performance of the product.

Production takes place exclusively in Germany and complies with the strict German environmental legislation. The company's closed-loop philosophy and an energy-efficient way to operate its plants also helps to save valuable resources. Kelheim Fibres is the first viscose manufacturer worldwide with an EMAS-validated environmental management system.