Executive summary

The report argues that the Collaboration for Sustainable Development of Viscose (CV) Roadmap lacks the ambition, transparency, and rigor necessary to transform the Chinese viscose industry. It finds that the initiative allows producers to use weak certification standards and fails to mandate the highest production levels, falling short of the European Commission's Best Available Techniques (BAT). The document highlights ongoing pollution at CV member sites and recommends aligning the roadmap with CanopyStyle audits and EU BAT to ensure genuine environmental protection.

• The CV Roadmap is criticized for lacking ambition because it does not require members to meet the highest production standard recommended by the Chinese government for international markets, nor does it align with the EU's Best Available Techniques (BAT).
• The initiative allows members to select from various certification standards and self-assessment tools that NGOs have criticized for being insufficient or incomplete, such as the PEFC standard and OEKO-TEX.
• The CV Roadmap lacks transparency and clarity, as it does not provide public information on enforcement, monitoring, verification, or sanctions for non-compliance, and its primary action plan is only available in Mandarin.
• On-the-ground investigations in 2017 found that several CV members, including Tangshan Sanyou, Sateri, Shandong Silverhawk Chemical Fibre, and CHTC Helon, were dumping untreated wastewater and emitting air pollutants exceeding legal limits.
• The CV Roadmap's requirements for sulphur recovery (minimum 89% by 2020) and zinc emissions are weaker than the standards established by EU BAT, and the roadmap fails to track Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) in water.
• The report concludes that relying solely on FSC or PEFC certification for wood pulp is insufficient to guarantee the protection of ancient and endangered forests, recommending the adoption of CanopyStyle Audits instead.

APA

Changing Markets Foundation (2018). Executive summary. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/CM-REPORT-DIRTY-VISCOSE-SPOTLIGHT-CHINA-ENGLISH-FINAL-WEB-.pdf

Chicago

Changing Markets Foundation. Executive summary. 2018. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/CM-REPORT-DIRTY-VISCOSE-SPOTLIGHT-CHINA-ENGLISH-FINAL-WEB-.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Changing Markets Foundation |title=Executive summary |date=November 2018 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/CM-REPORT-DIRTY-VISCOSE-SPOTLIGHT-CHINA-ENGLISH-FINAL-WEB-.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{changingmarketsfoundation2018executive, author = {{Changing Markets Foundation}}, title = {{Executive summary}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2018}, month = nov, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/CM-REPORT-DIRTY-VISCOSE-SPOTLIGHT-CHINA-ENGLISH-FINAL-WEB-.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }