Grasim Industries Ltd., a flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group has earned the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-certified bio-based product label for its products – Birla Viscose, Birla Modal and Birla Excel.
“We applaud Grasim Industries Ltd. for earning the USDA-certified bio-based product label,” said Kate Lewis, USDA BioPreferred Program. “Products from Grasim Industries Ltd. are contributing to an ever-expanding marketplace that adds value to renewable agriculture commodities creates jobs in rural communities and decreases our reliance on petroleum.”
Third-party verification for a product’s bio-based content is administered through the USDA BioPreferred Program. One of the goals of the Program is to increase the development, purchase and use of bio-based products.
The USDA-certified product label displays a product’s bio-based content which is the portion of a product that comes from a renewable source such as plant, animal, marine or forestry feedstocks. Utilizing renewable, bio-based materials displaces the need for non-renewable petroleum-based chemicals.
Bio-based products, through petroleum displacement, have played an increasingly important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions that exacerbate global climate change. Bio-based products are cost-comparative, readily available and perform as well as or better than their conventional counterparts.
Speaking on the occasion, the Managing Director of Grasim Industries Ltd., Mr. Dilip Gaur, said: “The USDA bio-based certification is another milestone reached in our sustainability journey and strengthening our belief that sustainability is at the core of our business strategy.”
The Chief Marketing Officer of Birla Cellulose, Mr. Rajeev Gopal, observed: “This certification reconfirms the natural origin of our products and will enhance the confidence of the value chain players in delivering bio-based products.”