EANS-News: Lenzing AG / Lenzing Showcases New Sustainability Strategy on "World Earth Day"

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- Support of World Earth Day's Canopy Project with a donation of USD
27,000 that supports the planting of 27,000 trees - Core strategy
elements include the model of the circular economy and the "net
benefit" concept - Presentation of the new Sustainability Report of
the Lenzing Group

Lenzing - Lenzing AG, globally leading producer of wood-based
cellulose fibers, presented its new sustainability strategy within
the context of the "World Earth Day" organized by the worldwide Earth
Day Network. Each year millions of people actively participate in
Earth Day on April 22 and stand up for the preservation of a livable
environment. In this connection, Lenzing donated a total of USD
27,000 to the Canopy project for its ongoing tree planting program.
With this amount, Lenzing completes Earth Day Network's ambitious
target of raising USD 150,000 for Earth Day 2017
(earthday.org/trees). The United Nations estimate that for every
dollar spent on reforestation, USD 2.50 is generated in local
downstream income and benefits.

"We're very grateful for Lenzing Group's generous donation", said
Earth Day Network president Kathleen Rogers. "With the help of
partners such as Lenzing, we're not just planting trees, we're also
helping build sustainable communities in areas of the world most in
need of reforestation."

The new sustainability strategy ,,Naturally Positive" of the Lenzing
Group is the result of the new Group strategy sCore TEN adopted in
the autumn of 2015. "The concept of sustainability is an integral
feature of our Group strategy. This is because Lenzing is in the
unique position to be able to operate a truly circular business
model. We produce functional, aesthetic and emotional products by
utilizing the raw material wood from CO2 and sunlight", says Stefan
Doboczky, Chief Executive Officer of the Lenzing Group. "At the end
of their useful lives, our fibers are biodegradable and thus once
again serve as the basis for new plant growth."

This model of the circular economy pervades the entire Lenzing
sustainability strategy. It is based on the three "P" cornerstones,
People - Planet - Profit. Crucial operational components being
implemented include the sustainable procurement of wood and a
responsible handling of water. The raw material wood is completely
converted into valuable industrial raw materials and bioenergy at the
biorefineries of the Lenzing Group. Largely closed chemical cycles
ensure the environmentally compatible production of LenzingTM fibers.
Accordingly, more than 99 percent of the solvent used to manufacture
TENCEL® fibers is recovered.

Other key aspects of the sustainability strategy applied by Lenzing
are the decarbonization of production for the sake of improved
climate protection as well as the promotion of sustainable
innovations designed to replace resource- intensive, environmentally
harmful products. Maintaining the required innovative strength is
also a crucial element of the Group strategy sCore TEN.

This approach is complemented by a close cooperation with the value
chain in order to jointly develop and implement systemic solutions.
"That is why we closely work together with multi-stakeholder
initiatives and actively support a range of NGOs devoted to
propagating sustainability principles", states Robert van de Kerkhof,
Chief Commercial Officer of the Lenzing Group. "With this in mind, we
are pursuing a policy oriented towards the long term which features
transparency and mutual trust with all our stakeholders."

Effective immediately, the "net benefit principle" comprises the new
parameter Lenzing has introduced as an internal benchmark. It enables
an objective assessment of products. The principle measures whether
the product contributes added value to the environment and society as
well as to Lenzing's partners. In this regard, the additional benefit
considered over the product's entire life cycle must be considerably
higher than other alternatives available on the marketplace. Examples
of "net benefit" products manufactured by Lenzing are TENCEL® fibers,
Modal COLOR® fibers or the new Refibra(TM) fibers made from recycled
cotton scraps.

The new sustainability strategy is described in detail in the newly
published Sustainability Report 2016, which is available now for
downloading on the Lenzing Website
(http://www.lenzing.com/sustainability-reports).

Canopy Project Through the Canopy Project, Earth Day Network works on
the ground with organizations worldwide that strengthen communities
through tree planting. Using sapling and seed distribution, urban
forestry, agroforestry, and tree care training, we have empowered
rural and urban people alike to conserve, repair, and restore tree
cover to their lands. This project has led to millions of trees being
planted on six different continents. Considering the United Nations
estimates that for every dollar spent on reforestation, USD 2.50 is
generated in local downstream income and benefits.

Since 2016, The Canopy Project has taken on even broader
significance. Now the important work of planting trees and improving
lives around the world also supports Earth Day Network's Trees for
the Earth campaign. Trees for the Earth was the first of five new,
ambitious, and goal-oriented campaigns to be launched in the run up
to Earth Day's 50th anniversary in 2020. Its goal: to plant 7.8 bn
trees worldwide by 2020 - one for every person projected to be on
earth.

Photo download:
https://mediadb.lenzing.com/pindownload/login.do?pin=RRPTS
PIN: RRPTS

1) This organization is not identical with the NGO Canopy Planet
Society who Lenzing collaborates with on wood sourcing.

Further inquiry note:
Lenzing AG
Mag. Waltraud Kaserer
Vice President Corporate Communications & Investor Relations
Tel.: +43 (0) 7672 701-2713
mailto:w.kaserer@lenzing.com

end of announcement euro adhoc
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company: Lenzing AG

A-A-4860 Lenzing
phone: +43 7672-701-0
FAX: +43 7672-96301
mail: office@lenzing.com
WWW: http://www.lenzing.com
sector: Chemicals
ISIN: AT0000644505
indexes: WBI, ATX, Prime Market
stockmarkets: official market: Wien
language: English

Original-Content von: Lenzing AG, übermittelt durch news aktuell