Metrics
[E4-5]
Attempts to quantify biodiversity impacts from land use usually consider two factors: the land area used and the intensity of use. Land use area alone is not a meaningful metric for impacts, and robust indicators for land-use intensity and biodiversity condition are still under development. Most available data is largely qualitative, and no standardized method exists for consistently comparing impacts. As a consequence, no specific actions can yet be derived from existing metrics. Current efforts focus on assessments such as species counts, which provide useful insights but do not yet fully capture biodiversity related impacts. To advance this field, Lenzing supports a doctoral research project on developing biodiversity metrics for assessing corporate impacts and dependencies (see “Transform: Biodiversity-related research activities” in the “Actions” section).
[MDR-M 77b]
The metrics in this section are not validated by an external body other than the assurance provider.
Land use area
[entity-specific]
Lenzing sources |
Forest type |
Land use intensity |
Data/estimates |
Land area data quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Wood |
Plantation |
High |
Known (see “Quantitative description of area managed and influenced by LD Celulose”) |
High |
Wood |
Semi-natural |
Low to medium |
Estimates needed based on regional statistical data |
Medium |
Pulp (pulp supplier sources wood) |
Plantation |
High |
Estimates possible |
Medium |
Pulp (pulp supplier sources wood) |
Semi-natural |
Low to medium |
Rough estimates |
Low |
Estimating the land area used for Lenzing’s wood sourcing is part of the project initiated to develop a biodiversity strategy. Data availability and quality may vary depending on forest type, land ownership, sourcing area and supply chain position (see the table “Land area and data availability across Lenzing’s wood and pulp sources”). Initial attempts to estimate forest area use for direct wood supply to Lenzing’s European pulp mills began in 2023. As the work is still ongoing, no results are available at present.
Land use area within LD Celulose’s plantations
|
Changes |
2025 |
2024 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
ha |
% |
ha |
% |
ha |
% |
Forest/plantation area |
4,549 |
6 |
71,089 |
71 |
66,540 |
71 |
FSC® area |
6,857 |
12 |
55,012 |
55 |
48,155 |
51 |
Protected area |
584 |
2 |
23,563 |
24 |
22,980 |
24 |
required by regulation |
1,106 |
6 |
19,888 |
20 |
18,782 |
20 |
Infrastructure |
398 |
8 |
4,786 |
5 |
4,388 |
5 |
Total area |
5,531 |
6 |
99,438 |
100 |
93,908 |
100 |
Since the plantations in Brazil (Indianópolis) are owned and managed by the Lenzing Group, through LD Celulose, detailed land-use data is available. The main direct land use areas currently cover 99,438 hectares (994.38 km2). These areas were categorized as agricultural land several decades ago. The existing plantations were established without converting primary forests, naturally regenerating (second-growth) forests, savannahs, grasslands or freshwater natural ecosystems to other land uses, particularly not after 1994. This was a precondition for LDC’s plantations FSC® certification obtained in 2021. In 2025, however, 3,014 hectares (2024: 55 hectares) of degraded former agricultural grassland were converted to forest plantations.
Only plantation areas where trees have reached a certain maturity can be certified under the FSC® label. This explains the numerical gap between the total plantation area and the FSC®-certified area (License codes: FSC-C175509, FSC-C165948), representing the portion of trees that are too young to qualify for certification.
Brazilian environmental law determines the maintenance of Permanent Preservation Areas (APPs) and Legal Reserve (LR) areas. Currently, 23,563 hectares (2024: 22,970 hectares) of land managed by LD Celulose are classified as protected areas.
Impact of land use intensity on biodiversity
[entity-specific]
Land use intensity affects biodiversity and ecosystem conditions. Lenzing Group monitors this across global regions through two different approaches.
In Europe, forest biodiversity and ecosystem status are monitored at national level according to the Forest Europe Criteria and Indicators.1 They contain 6 criteria (among them, “Maintenance of forest ecosystem health and vitality”, and “Maintenance, conservation and appropriate enhancement of biological diversity in forest ecosystems”) and a set of 35 quantitative as well as 17 qualitative indicators. Results are published regularly in the European overview2 as well as in national reports. For the top four sourcing countries – Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Slovakia – please refer to the reports listed in the footnote3 for national indicators and results.
In Brazil, wood is sourced from plantations managed by LD Celulose. Monitoring is conducted in compliance with the Brazilian Forest Code through a structured framework of internal and external processes. This includes annual satellite imagery to assess the location, size and status of the Legal Reserve Areas (LRAs) and Permanent Preservation Areas (APPs) as well as regular field audits by internal environmental specialists. Flora and fauna are monitored within managed areas and in zones influenced by the mill site through internal programs and partnerships with universities.
Biodiversity monitoring has identified around 300 plant species and 440 animal species (2024: around 200 plant species and 450 animal species) within the forest management units of LD Celulose.4 The programs are carried out annually during both the dry and rainy seasons to track potential impacts on local biodiversity. No significant reduction in species has been observed since monitoring began in December 2020. These programs are also required by the Brazilian environmental agency.
Pulp suppliers apply their own monitoring schemes. For a qualitative assessment of land-use intensity across forest types, please see the table “Land area and data availability across Lenzing’s wood and pulp sources”.
Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) metrics
[entity-specific]
TNFD metrics addressing wood scarcity and related to land-use change are presented in the table below.
ID metrics |
Metrics No. |
Core global indicator |
Core global metrics |
Metrics for LD Celulose, Brazil for protected areas |
Metrics for LD Celulose, Brazil for plantation area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1.2 |
C1.0 |
Total spatial footprint |
b/Total disturbed area (km2) |
0 ha |
2025: 6,492 ha (2024: 6,824 ha) were harvested and replanted (eucalyptus plantations only) |
1.3 |
C1.0 |
Total spatial footprint |
c/Total rehabilitated/ |
70 ha of natural forest regeneration and natural expansion (There are no new areas of regeneration – this area continues to regenerate naturally.) |
N/A |
2.1 |
C1.1 |
Extent of land/ |
change (km2) by: a/Type of ecosystem; and |
0 ha |
2025: 3,014 ha (2024: 55 ha) of degraded, former agricultural grassland converted to forest plantation. |
3.1 |
C1.1 |
Extent of land/ |
land conserved or restored (km2) split into: a/Voluntary; and |
3,675 ha (2024: 4,198 ha) (regulated protected area subtracted from total protected area) |
N/A |
3.2 |
C1.1 |
Extent of land/ |
b/Required by statutes or regulations |
19,888 ha (2024: 18,782 ha) (20% of total area) |
N/A |
14_2 |
C5. Forest Europe |
Regeneration (Forest Europe Indicator) |
|
70 ha of natural regeneration and natural expansion (There are no new areas of regeneration – this area continues to regenerate naturally.) |
Harvested area continuously replanted |
14_3 |
C5. Forest Europe |
Naturalness level of forests (Forest Europe Indicator) |
Size of the forest according to level of naturalness |
In the Brazilian context, protected areas in the plantations are counted as semi-natural forests (ha); in 2025: 23,563 ha (2024: 22,980 ha) |
2025 declared plantations area: 71,089 ha (2024: 66,540 ha) (E4-5) |
Additional metrics and indicators recommended by TNFD that are not connected to Lenzing’s ESRS IROs but might still be relevant for interested stakeholders can be found here.
1https://foresteurope.org/sustainable-forest-management/
2Forest Europe 2015, and 2020: State of Europe’s Forest 2015. Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe, June 2016., and 2020, State of Europe’s Forest 2020. https://foresteurope.org/publications/
3Indicators of sustainable forest management in Austria reports from 2017 and 2020. https://info.bmlrt.gv.at/themen/wald/walddialog/dokumente.html, Czech Republic and Slovakia forest reports: Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic, Information on Forests and Forestry in the Czech Republic by 2017 (English), Zpráva o stavu lesa a lesního hospodářství České republiky v roce 2020 (Czech). Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic, Report on the Forest Sector of the Slovak Republic 2020., German forest report: https://www.bmleh.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/_Wald/waldbericht2021.pdf
4LDC Green Bonds Report 2025. https://ldcelulose.com.br/fileadmin/user_upload/gb_ld_celulose_eng_spreads.pdf