VANCOUVER — September 15, 2021 — Today, led by fashion powerhouses HUGO BOSS and Etam, 14 brands and innovators have joined the CanopyStyle and Pack4Good initiatives. They have committed to end sourcing paper, packaging, and viscose textiles from the world’s Ancient and Endangered Forests and to scale up the use of Next Generation alternatives.
Keeping the world’s forests standing as the first line of defense in order to stabilize our climate and biodiversity is a priority initiative for the fashion sector. More than 3.2 billion trees are cut down every year, many from the world’s most vital and important ecosystems, to make fashion fabrics like viscose and rayon, and to feed the growing demand for paper-based packaging. These 14 brands are joining the movement to address this mounting issue.
“Turning around the current climate reality and biodiversity decline is an enormous challenge — and protecting the world’s forests is the fastest, most effective, and cost-efficient strategy to do it,” said Nicole Rycroft, Canopy’s executive director. “We are so encouraged and inspired to work with these leading brands and innovators who are doubling down to build supply chains for the 21st century and ensure that the world’s forests remain vibrant.”
Just a month ago, the IPCC released its most dire climate report to date as historic heatwaves, floods, and wildfires were impacting millions around the world. The report spoke to the urgent need both to reduce emissions and to protect one of the world’s most effective forms of carbon sequestration — forests. As the effects of the climate crisis are increasingly visible, the protection of forests, especially Ancient and Endangered Forests, becomes vital. That is what today’s brand leaders are dedicated to addressing.
“At HUGO BOSS, we are committed to sustainability, and understand that forests have a vital role to play in stabilizing our climate and keeping our planet livable,” said Andreas Streubig, senior vice president, Global Corporate Responsibility & Public Affairs at HUGO BOSS. “Canopy has made exciting progress on addressing key sourcing risks in the viscose and packaging supply chains. HUGO BOSS is delighted to add our voice and influence to the collaborative and effective approaches of CanopyStyle and Pack4Good.”
Today’s announcement includes brands across the apparel sector’s spectrum, from luxury to lingerie.
“The Etam Group is committed to making decisions that show respect for our planet. That’s why we are pleased to be collaborating with Canopy to ensure the sustainability of our forest-derived products, from the viscose used in our products to the paper and cardboard in our packaging,” said Kachen Hong, The Etam Group CSR director. “We know that forests are integral to keeping our planet’s climate stable, and to the millions of species and people who live in them, and we are eager to do our part to help protect them.”
A key priority of Canopy’s work with brands is the accelerated commercial-scale production of game-changing Next Generation Solutions. With intensifying market demand for these circular-economy alternatives, today’s new brand partners are joined by four additional Next Generation innovators. These technology ventures are developing breakthrough production innovations to alleviate today’s sourcing pressures on vital forests.
The companies signing on to CanopyStyle and Pack4Good are committed to ensuring their viscose and packaging supply chains will be:
- Free of Ancient and Endangered Forests including all recent deforestation.
- Maximizing recycled and alternative Next Generation fibers (such as regenerated cotton or agricultural residues).
- Preferencing FSC-certified wood if virgin wood fiber continues to be used.
Posted September 15, 2021
Source: Canopy
