Hot Button enters its next decade with updated criteria for MMCF producers

The past decade of the Hot Button Report has helped fashion brands understand the forest impacts of man-made cellulosic fibres (MMCFs) and use their purchasing power to drive change. Now, as the industry enters a new phase of transformation, Canopy has updated the criteria that will raise the bar for the industry’s annual assessment. 

The new criteria put greater emphasis on scaling Next Gen fibres, improving transparency and strengthening forest protection with landscape-level conservation, while continuing to recognise the importance of responsible sourcing.

The next challenge is to accelerate that progress. The updated Hot Button criteria reflect where the industry needs to go next: towards a more circular and resilient fibre system that scales Next Gen Solutions while keeping forests standing.

What’s changing

The new framework reduces the number of criteria from seven to five and introduces clearer goals and expectations for producers. Targets are now defined in both volumes and percentages, with expectations tailored to the different capabilities of small, medium, and large producers.

The updated criteria also place greater weight on Next Gen Solutions, rewarding producers that are taking meaningful steps to scale lower-impact alternatives to conventional forest-based fibres.

The rating system has also been simplified. The Hot Button Report will now use three shirt colours: green, yellow and red. Producers with known high-risk sourcing will receive a Red Shirt, while a Green Shirt signals low or no known risk of Ancient and Endangered Forests or controversial fibre in a producer’s supply chain.