Hot Trend for Earth Day: 13 Fashion Brands Taking Action for Forest Protection

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 19, 2023 – The Earth Week, 13 brands are marking the occasion by committing to ensure their viscose supply chain is free of vital forests by joining CanopyStyle. Through the CanopyStyle initiative, created by solutions-driven non-profit Canopy, hundreds of the world’s leading brands have committed to shift their sourcing towards lower-impact, low-carbon, and circular Next Gen alternatives to preserve climate-critical forests and save the species that inhabit them.

Last month’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Report stated clearly that greenhouse gas emissions must be halved by 2030 if our planet is to avoid catastrophic global events. Key to this goal is the protection of forests and an urgent requirement to shift away from systems that lead to further deforestation and forest degradation, and instead prioritize the protection of natural ecosystems.

With the addition of these 13 brands, the CanopyStyle initiative is now comprised of 535 fashion brands and retailers – collectively worth over 889 billion USD in annual revenue. Today’s signatories are united in ensuring their textiles like viscose/rayon/lyocell and paper packaging don’t come from the world’s Ancient and Endangered Forests, and are working with Canopy and their peers to scale low-carbon Next-Gen alternatives made from recycled clothing, agricultural residues, and other innovative alternatives to climate-critical forests. The viscose supply chain is currently responsible for the logging of 300 million trees annually. 

"We are so pleased to join the CanopyStyle and Pack4Good initiatives, and to collaborate with Canopy on saving vital forests,” said Adrian Sherman, VP of Environment & Social Responsibility at The Children’s Place. “On Earth Day, doing our part to fight climate change is more important than ever, and a way to support a brighter future for all the children and families that we serve.”  

“It’s not just our climate that’s getting hotter this Earth Week. Protecting forests is emerging as one of the hottest early trends of 2023,” said Nicole Rycroft, Founder and Executive Director of Canopy. “The purchasing power and breadth of companies committed to CanopyStyle sends a strong message to suppliers, governments, and investors: It’s time to leave “take, make, waste” supply chains back in the 20^th century. Low-carbon Next Generation solutions are the future of fashion – and brands are leaning in to accelerate them as quickly as possible. Our planet deserves no less.”

All of the brands in today’s announcement have also joined Canopy’s Pack4Good initiative – committing to packaging reduction, ensuring their paper-based packaging doesn’t come from vital forests, and prioritizing the scaling the use of low-carbon alternatives, like packaging made from straw. The Pack4Good initiative now has over 373 brand partners, representing 195.9 billion USD in collective annual revenue.

Read more about the companies in this announcement and view their policies here.

Read quotes from the companies in this announcement here.

Media Contact:

Canopy
Laura Repas, Communications Marketing Specialist
+1 416-729-7484
Communications@canopyplanet.org

About Canopy
Canopy is a solutions-driven not-for-profit organization dedicated to protecting forests, species, and climate. Canopy has collaborated with more than 900 companies to develop cutting-edge environmental policies that transform unsustainable supply chains, spark innovative solutions, and protect our world’s remaining Ancient and Endangered Forests. www.canopyplanet.org.

Read more about Canopy's Next Gen work at www.nextgennow.ca.