Introducing SDG Decoded
As we pass the four-year mark on the establishment of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it’s the perfect time to see how far we’ve come and where we’re heading in our quest for sustainable denim.
Adopted by world leaders in September 2015 at an historic UN Summit, the 17 SDGs came into force on January 1 2016. The Goals are unique in that they call for action by all countries, poor, rich and middle-income to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. The goals are meant to serve as a framework for businesses to help create a more eco-responsible future by addressing such global challenges as poverty, inequality and climate change.
Lenzing has been committed to the initiative, pledging to effect positive change and also help drive value for other companies.
As a participant in the Climate Summit at the UN General Assembly earlier this year, Lenzing’s core efforts focus on the following SDGs:
SDG 1: No Poverty
SDG 3: Good Health & Well-Being
SDG 6: Clean Water & Sanitation
SDG 7: Affordable & Clean Energy
SDG 8: Decent Work & Economic Growth
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation & Infra-Structure
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption & Production
SDG 13: Climate Action
SDG 14: Life Below Water
SDG 15: Life on Land
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Shaping all of the company’s efforts is its “Naturally Positive” sustainability strategy, chief of which is making water stewardship a priority. The need to contribute to sustainable water resources is something that guides all of the company’s business decisions, most especially its TENCELTM fiber innovation.
Not only does TENCELTM Lyocell advance transparency by fabric certification program, it facilitates traceability with TENCEL™ Lyocell with REFIBRA™ technology by being registered with the Recycled Claim Standard (RCS). What’s more, the fiber is certified as a compostable material. Lenzing intends to reduce carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and to be net zero by 2050.
Carved in Blue is reaching out to the denim mills and brands to see how much progress they’re making with the 17 SDGs. We want to learn what these goals mean to them, which ones they’re prioritizing, and what they’re learning along the way. In order to keep the sturdy thread of collaboration running through the world of sustainable denim, we’ll share these responses as we close out 2019 and head through to 2020.