Financing A Systemic Solution for Forest and Biodiversity Conservation
Published:
OCTOBER 27, Cali, Colombia - Today, at the Convention of Biological Diversity (COP16) in Colombia, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Canopy hosted an expert panel focused on how the transformation of the unsustainable paper, packaging and viscose supply chains can unlock major and durable conservation gains for forests and biodiversity. The session outlined essential information on how substituting wood fibers for paper and textile manufacturing can enable conservation, sustainable economic development, low-impact supply chains, competitive investment returns, and carbon savings. It is estimated that USD 78 billion dollars will need to be deployed for this infrastructure transition over the next decade.
Hosted at the IUCN Pavillion in COP16’s Blue Zone, the event brought together financiers, government funding agencies, policy makers, companies and conservation practitioners to explore the critical role of alternative fibres in protecting forests and advancing circularity. Over 5 billion trees, including 1.25 billion from high biodiversity forests, are currently harvested to produce paper packaging, paper, and textiles every year - and as such are significant drivers of habitat degradation and biodiversity loss. Next Gen solutions draw on low-impact, non-wood inputs such as waste textiles, agricultural residues and food waste as substitutes for forest fiber.
Nearly one billion tonnes of accessible cellulosic waste, such as wheat straw as well as discarded textiles, could be transformed into circular packaging and clothing with significantly reduced environmental impacts. Next generation materials can cut land use by up to 100%, lower biodiversity impacts fivefold and reduce CO2 emissions by four tonnes per product tonne.[1] There is a strong pipeline of Next Gen innovation ready to scale - with some conventional producers already adopting it into their product lines. $78 billion in investments over the next decade could scale 60 million tonnes of Next Gen alternative fibre pulping capacity. This would cut a third of forest fibre, including all Ancient and Endangered Forests, from the pulp, paper and packaging supply chains, enabling their conservation.
“Cross-sector collective action paired with strategic investments to transform supply chains is the only way we will decouple the paper, textiles and packaging industries from degrading climate- and biodiversity-critical forests,” said Nicole Rycroft, Canopy’s Executive Director. “Next Gen solutions are within our reach - the markets are ready as is the technology pipeline. Now we need the financing to scale these solutions for the benefit of humanity, biodiversity and business.”
Currently, global agri-residue capacity stands at roughly 5.8 million tonnes, but technological innovations and industry collaborations are poised to drive significant expansion and give new value to materials that would otherwise be burned, discarded, or landfilled. This offers significant opportunities to countries and regions with significant agricultural sectors and textile production to be early leaders in providing Next Gen solutions to global markets. Doing so will also bring value-added revenue streams to rural communities and urban textile recyclers.
“IUCN is playing a critical role in supporting partners, including governments, to achieve the Global Biodiversity Framework, solve the ongoing global biodiversity crisis, and create a just world that values and conserves nature,” said Chetan Kumar, Global Head of the IUCN Forest and Grasslands Team. “Adoption of and investment in Next Gen production infrastructure is one crucial step towards diverting pressure from vulnerable ecosystems and addressing underlying drivers of deforestation, while also supporting a just and sustainable economic transition that respects the livelihoods and self-determination of local communities.”
The event concluded with a strong call to action for increased investment in scaling Next Gen production - which will unlock the flow of nature positive goods, advance local livelihoods, alleviate pollution, and safeguard some of the world’s most precious ecosystems.
For more information or to schedule interviews, please contact:
Mike Hudema, Canopy Communications Director
01-778-989-6153
communications@canopyplanet.org
Amy Coles, Media and Communications Officer IUCN
press@iucn.org
[1] https://nextgennow.ca/
About Canopy
Canopy is a solutions-driven not-for-profit environmental organization dedicated to protecting forests, species, and climate. Canopy collaborates with over 900 companies to create cutting-edge environmental policies that transform unsustainable supply chains, spark innovative solutions, and safeguard Ancient and Endangered Forests.
About IUCN
IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together.
Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,00 Member organisations and around 16,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards.
IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, Indigenous Peoples organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development.
Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being.
