Jul 17, 2012. /Lesprom Network/. Lenzing AG has been manufacturing fibers from the renewable raw material wood for more than 70 years. The environmentally-friendly production process as well as the maximum attainable closed cycle and the optimal use of the raw material beech wood are unique in the industry, and give Lenzing’s fiber production a cutting edge on the global market, as the company said in a press release received by Lesprom Network. However, it is a lesser known fact that the sale of so-called co-products generates a significant share of the positive results of the Lenzing site. In addition to producing acetic acid, furfural and xylose which are derived in the Lenzing bio-refinery from beech wood and sodium sulfate as a by-product from viscose fiber production, the co-products business of the Lenzing AG also includes the marketing of so-called mother liquor extracted from the raw material wood, and which is used as an additive to animal feed. Now the comprehensive certification program of Lenzing Co-Products has been expanded to include the certification of the mother liquor it produces. Lenzing’s mother liquor, a sugar-rich magnesium lignin sulfonate solution using beech wood as a raw material, can be considered to be globally unique thanks to the special process constellation at the Lenzing site. The certification according to HACCP1 gives users the assurance that they are being provided with absolutely safe food and feed products. Lenzing’s own HACCP teams define and evaluate possible risk potential along the entire production process until actual delivery of the product, and thus ensure that legal requirements are complied with and that no products of inferior quality are distributed. The effectiveness of the implemented measures is subject to regular testing within the framework of the company’s management system. “Certifications are optimally suited to provide proof of the high quality level of our products as well as to continually maintain this quality. They require considerable effort on the part of the affected employees, but comprise a decisive factor in the success of the business”, says Elisabeth Hitzinger, Head of Lenzing Co-Products. Back in December 2010 Quality Austria already carried out an official review in accordance with the basic principles of the HACCP concept in addition to the existing ISO certifications. This system focuses attention on the safety of food and the users. The HAACP certificate is another important step forward for Lenzing AG in its role as a supplier of high quality products in the food, feedstuff and pharmaceutical industries. The existing certifications ISO9001, ISO14001 and OHSAS18001 could be successfully extended in June 2012.