Global fashion brands join CanopyStyle program to protect forests

This Earth Day, Canopy has announced the addition of 8 new fashion brands to the CanopyStyle program, which aims to keep ancient and endangered woods out of the viscose supply chain and contribute to the conservation of the world’s most important forests, biodiversity, and climate. Shein, Hanky Panky, ocean+main, River Island, AllSaints, Kmart Australia, and Boody are among the brands available.

To save forests, these businesses are joining the 478 brands that have already signed on to CanopyStyle. CanopyStyle is a collaborative endeavor aimed to shift viscose supply chains away from forest sourcing and toward low-carbon, next-generation solutions like recycled-textile or agricultural residue generated viscose, according to a press release from the organization.

Nicole Rycroft, Canopy’s executive director, said that this is the turning point for our world. Forests have a significant role to play in alleviating the climate crisis and maintaining biodiversity. That’s why, on Earth Day, they’re heartened to see a new wave of global fashion businesses pledging to transform their supply chains in order to maintain crucial forest standing and scale the production of NextGen alternatives.

Gale Epstein, president and creative director of Hanky Panky, said that they have always held high standards for social responsibility and sustainability at Hanky Panky. So they’re thrilled to be adding to this heritage today by partnering with CanopyStyle and Pack4Good to ensure forests stay out of their supply chains and are preserved for future generations.

Adam Whinston, global head of ESG at Shein, said that at Shein, they believe that safeguarding the forests is critical to making the world a better place for future generations. Canopy has made significant progress in resolving the social and environmental issues raised by man-made cellulosic fibers, and they’re thrilled to join peer firms in their commitment to responsible viscose.

Every year, more than 200 million trees are felled to create cellulosic materials like viscose and rayon, much of which come from the world’s most fragile forest ecosystems. Those trees would circle the Earth seven times if they were planted end-to-end. For next season’s fashion and clothes, forests in Indonesia, Canada’s Boreal, Australia, and Brazil are currently being logged.

The companies have pledged to ensure that their viscose supply chain is free of ancient and endangered forests, maximizes alternative next-generation fibers like recycled textiles and agricultural leftovers, and uses FSC-certified wood if virgin forest fiber is required.

A large number of these companies have also joined Pack4Good, a Canopy campaign to ensure that they use smart package design and environmentally friendly paper packaging.