ABOUT KELHEIM FIBRES

• Spun off in 1993, Kelheim Fibres has its roots in the Süddeutsche Spinnfaser company that was founded in 1935. It now has over 500 employees and sales of over USD 160 million each year.
• Kelheim Fibres has the capacity to produce 90,000 tonnes of speciality Viscose fibres a year, approximately 1.1% of global viscose production.
• Its fibres are used to make clothes, as well as tampons, flushable wipes, bandages, tea bags and banknotes, among others.
• The company is rated the third most sustainable viscose producer in the 2021 Canopy Hot Button rankings.
• Kelheim Fibres sources 100% of its wood pulp from FSC-certified or PEFC-certified forests, via the Lenzing Group.
• While individual products hold specific certifications, the company’s core products are compostable per EN 13432, meaning they biodegrade within 12 months.
• Kelheim Fibres is the world’s first viscose fibre producer with an EMAS-certified environmental management system, incorporating and surpassing the global SO 14001 standard. It has been nominated for the German Sustainability Award and has joined the ZDHC programme Roadmap to Zero.
• In October 2021, Kelheim Fibres was awarded gold in the CSR rating by EcoVadis, putting it in the top 3% of all companies evaluated, scoring top results in the environmental category.
• The power plant at Kelheim Fibres runs on natural gas and the company claims efficiency of over 90% by utilising the cogeneration of heat and power – more than twice that of conventional power plants. Meanwhile, its three Biohoch-reactors, with enough capacity for a city of 150,000 residents, process water biologically before it is returned to the river.
• In October 2021, the company signed a Letter of Intent with Renewcell to use up to 10,000 tons of Circulose, a cellulose-based fibre made from 100% textile waste, to produce its viscose fibres.