GREENBIZ: How H&M, Marks & Spencer and Zara are fashioning change

November 11, 2016. Originally published in GreenBiz by Nicole Rycroft .

Transforming an unsustainable global supply chain can seem daunting. As much as a single company may be committed to change, it’s almost impossible to do it alone. There is a need for peers and competitors to become colleagues and mentors to enable all. Collective action possesses a raw power that enables us to imagine a different reality. And once that happens we put solutions squarely within the realm of the possible and probable.

That is exactly what happened last week in New York City as our environmental nonprofit Canopy , along with H&M, Inditex/Zara, Stella McCartney, Marks & Spencer and Eileen Fisher, welcomed representatives of 87 global fashion brands and retailers for a day-long summit to strategize conservation solutions for the world’s endangered forests.

What’s the link between forests and fashion? The immensely popular fabric rayon (otherwise known as viscose, modal or lyocell) has become a major driver of logging globally, with more than 120 million trees disappearing into the fabric annually.

"We know our customers want great, affordable fashion," said Giles Bolton, responsible sourcing director of Tesco, which works with CanopyStyle on sustainable viscose sourcing. "And they also want it without compromising on social and environmental standards."

Read the rest of the story here .