Asia Pacific Rayon (APR) is Asia’s first fully-integrated viscose staple fibre (VSF) producer, from fibre plantations to VSF. APR produces 100% wood-based, renewable and biodegradable VSF for the textile industry. Its co-location with Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL) – a sister company under Royal Golden Eagle Group (RGE) – where the majority of its renewable dissolving wood pulp (DWP) supply originates allows APR to integrate operations from fibre plantations to VSF production.
The report covers the company’s sustainable progress from January 2019 till June 2020.
Excerpts from the report:
Making Indonesia 4.0 Roadmap
Asia Pacific Rayon (APR), based in Sumatra, Indonesia, produces 240,000 tonnes of VSF a year, half of which is consumed domestically and the remaining is exported to international textile hubs including Turkey, Bangladesh and Vietnam. It reduces the country’s dependence on textile raw material imports. It is in line with the country’s ‘Making Indonesia 4.0’ roadmap, which prioritises the development of five manufacturing sectors – textiles included – to boost its exports and GDP. Our customers include yarn spinners, fabric and garment makers.
As a relatively new player in the man-made cellulosic fibre industry, APR is solidifying its foundation of being responsible in sustainable operations.
Vision Big 5 Cs
APR is driven by its vision comprising big 5Cs which is about creating value for the Community, Country, Climate and Customers, and in turn yielding good for the Company.
Basrie Kamba – Director, APR says: “Innovation and collaboration will underpin the next stage of our efforts to advance sustainability in our industry.”
Maiden Annual Sustainability Report
APR is a vertically-integrated operation – from sustainable fibre plantations to high-value textile manufacturing facilities. APR symbolises a diversification of Pangkalan Kerinci region’s operations to downstream value creation. In June 2020, APR viscose fibre secured the label ‘Medically Tested – Tested for Toxins’ by FKT certifying that the textile is free of toxins and safe on skin.
Our facility incorporates the latest production technology to produce high quality VSF while minimising pollution and waste using circular approach. We began establishing a baseline for our carbon footprint to inform the setting of carbon emissions reduction targets for 2030. We also launched our Sustainability Dashboard, where we publish our critical sustainability performance indicators benchmarked against global industry standards like the EU Best Available Techniques (EU BAT).
Traceability – A Key Factor
We have developed the capability to have 100% traceability of dissolving wood pulp (DWP) along the entire value chain. Our platform, Follow Our Fibre, is powered by block-chain technology to provide our customers and stakeholders with a transparent way to trace our product back to its source. Our next goal is to extend this capability to retail stores and provide seedling-to-garment traceability to consumers.
APR – Indonesia’s 1st STeP Recognized Company
APR is also the first VSF manufacturer in Indonesia to receive the internationally recognised STeP (Sustainable Textile & Leather Production) by OEKO-TEX® certification, for the responsible manufacturing of VSF.
Managing our Carbon Footprint
VSF production, which is an energy-intensive process, has an inherent advantage in supporting a low-carbon, sustainable future, as it is derived from a renewable sustainably managed resource – DWP.
As part of APR’s 2030 vision, our plans include but are not limited to: a) 30% reduction in our mill net carbon emissions intensity; b) sourcing our mill energy needs from renewable and cleaner sources; c) reducing waste production and increasing the recovery and reuse of chemicals and textile waste, to reduce GHG emissions.
Affiliations
We are committed to driving sustainable practices throughout our entire value chain and actively collaborating with stakeholders both upstream and downstream to improve the positioning of viscose in the marketplace and creating positive impact across the fashion and textile industry.
We are part of IBCSD (Indonesia Business Council for Sustainable Development), IFC (Indonesia Fashion Chamber, API (Indonesia Textile Association), APSyFI (Indonesia Fiber and Filament Yarn Producers Association), TE (Textile Exchange) and also ZDHC Foundation (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals).
APR’s Sustainability Policy
Our Sustainability Policy, updated in 2020, is guided by the RGE Forestry, Fibre, Pulp and Paper Sustainability Framework. It also builds from the Sustainable Forest Management Policy 2.0 (SFMP) of our key supplier, APRIL. At its core, the SFMP commits to eliminating deforestation, protecting fibre and peatland landscapes and supporting best practices in fibre plantation management.
This policy reflects our four key priorities in sustainability – clean manufacturing, innovation & circularity, pulp sourcing, besides people, communities and country.
Fulfilling SDGs
In 2019, APR embarked on an exercise to prioritise the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are most relevant to our business, operations and our involvement in the textile value chain. We identified 3 sets of goals: Core Goals (clean water and sanitization, industry, innovation and infrastructure, responsible consumption and production and climate action), then Catalytic Goals (good health and well-being, quality education, partnerships for the goals), and Contributed Goals (zero hunger, decent work and economic growth and life on land).
Clean & Closed Loop Manufacturing
Viscose has immense potential to drive sustainability in the fashion industry and is projected to occupy 8.5% of the fibre market by 2030. While the VSF manufacturing process involves the use of chemicals, some of which yield by-products, managing these chemicals responsibly through recovery and reuse can significantly reduce emissions. As one of the newest manufacturing mills in the world, APR has incorporated best-in-class technology and designed, from the onset, processes that adopt circular and closed-loop approaches.
We are committed to achieve a higher than 90% recovery rate of the chemicals used in VSF manufacturing and to rely mainly on renewable resources for energy.
Chemical Management and Recovery
Responsible chemical management and recovery is a top priority in our manufacturing process. It is a key aspect that influences several other areas of the business, such as health, safety and well-being of our employees and communities, environmental impact, resources and cost efficiencies.
We have set our air emission targets beyond the compliance limits mandated by government regulations. We not only benchmark ourselves against EU BAT requirements but also applicable occupational ambient guidelines by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Full report can be accessed here –
https://www.aprayon.com/en/media/news-releases/creating-sustainable-value-from-plantation-to-fashion/
