Birla Cellulose, a global manufacturer of man-made cellulosic fibers (MMCF) specializing in viscose staple fiber, modal and lyocell, is accelerating its journey toward circularity and sustainable textiles. The India-based company’s recent partnership with Circulose, which converts post-consumer cotton waste into dissolving pulp, exemplifies a strategic move to integrate recycled materials into solutions like its Liva Reviva. Meanwhile, its collaboration with Circ to tackle blended textile recycling represents an investment in long-term innovation.
In this exclusive Q&A, Hertzman Global Intelligence chats with ManMohan Singh, chief marketing officer of Birla Cellulose, about the company’s position as a credible and forward-looking partner in the global textile ecosystem.
HGI: Birla Cellulose recently partnered with Circulose, a producer of regenerated textile pulp. Explain the scope of this relationship and its significance in the Birla Cellulose ecosystem?
ManMohan Singh: The partnership between Birla Cellulose and Circulose is a strategic step toward building circularity into the core of our raw material strategy. By enabling the conversion of post-consumer cotton waste into dissolving pulp, it allows us to reintroduce waste back into the value chain in a meaningful way. This directly supports the development of solutions like Liva Reviva, where up to 50% of recycled inputs are blended with Livaeco Viscose to deliver both performance and sustainability.
While this is still a growing part of our overall ecosystem, its importance lies in the direction it sets. We see it as foundational to how textile manufacturing will evolve in the coming years. From a market perspective, we are already working with leading global and regional brands, with clear movement from pilot initiatives to more embedded adoption of circular materials.
HGI: Circularity is clearly a growing initiative for Birla Cellulose. Explain how the Circulose partnership expands upon the existing one with Circ? What are the fundamental differences?
MS: Our circularity strategy is intentionally built across multiple pathways, and our partnerships with Circulose and Circ reflect that. Circulose addresses cotton-rich textile waste, which allows us to scale circular solutions today and integrate them into our fibers with relative ease. Circ, on the other hand, is focused on solving the more complex challenge of blended textiles, which remain one of the biggest barriers to circularity at scale.
From a strategic standpoint, one enables immediate progress while the other builds future capability. Together, they ensure that we are not only responding to current demand but also investing in solutions that will define the next phase of circular innovation.
HGI: What is your goal for recycled fiber content output at Birla Cellulose this year? What are some headwinds to scaling up recycled fibers globally?
MS: Our focus this year is on driving meaningful integration of recycled inputs into targeted segments of our portfolio, particularly through solutions like Liva Reviva. Rather than taking a broad approach, we are prioritizing depth where the ecosystem is ready, with an ambition to achieve strong double-digit recycled content in specific applications. That said, scaling recycled fibers globally requires systemic shifts.
Challenges remain around the availability and quality of segregated textile waste, the maturity of recycling technologies especially for blended fabrics and cost competitiveness. There is also a need for stronger alignment across the value chain, supported by more consistent policy frameworks. Despite this, the momentum we are seeing from brands and consumers gives us confidence that circularity will move from being an initiative to becoming an industry norm.
HGI: How have recent announcements of India tariff rate cuts made your company and its products more competitive, especially for long-term partnerships and planning?
MS: The recent tariff rationalization in India is a meaningful enabler for both competitiveness and long-term planning. It improves cost efficiency across the value chain and strengthens our ability to offer globally competitive solutions. More importantly, it brings greater predictability, which is critical for building long-term partnerships. For our brand partners, this reduces friction in adopting more sustainable materials and supports more confident decision-making when it comes to scaling. It also reinforces India’s position as a reliable and future-ready sourcing hub, which is increasingly important in a rapidly evolving global supply chain landscape.
HGI: Birla Cellulose is consistently recognized with the top ‘Dark Green Shirt’ rating by Canopy’s Hot Button Report for sustainable forestry and traceability. How does such a distinction build trust in the industry and among consumers?
MS: Consistent recognition by Canopy with the highest “Dark Green Shirt” rating is a strong validation of the systems and discipline we have built around responsible sourcing and traceability. For us, sustainability is not an overlay, it is embedded into how we operate and how we innovate. This level of third-party validation gives our partners the confidence to build their own sustainability narratives on a credible foundation, while also strengthening trust with increasingly conscious consumers. In a space where scrutiny is only increasing, such distinctions are not just reputational markers, they are essential to building long-term credibility and leadership.
