India’s Leading Fashion House’s Next Defining Move: Ancient-Forest-Free Fashion

House of Anita Dongre Joins Canopy in Safeguarding the World’s Forests

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Mumbai, Vancouver - August 5, 2021 – Today, one of India’s leading fashion houses, House of Anita Dongre, is ensuring that protection of the world’s Ancient and Endangered Forests continues to grow, expanding its sustainability legacy by being the first Indian fashion house to join international environmental organization Canopy’s CanopyStyle and Pack4Good initiatives. The CanopyStyle and Pack4Good initiatives are focused on transforming the fashion and packaging supply chains: shifting them away from sourcing from the world’s most important forests and scaling climate-friendly Next Generation Solutions.

Every year over 3.2 billion trees, many from vital forest ecosystems in places like Brazil, India, Canada, and Indonesia, are cut down to make packaging, shipping boxes, and fabrics such as viscose and rayon. Forests, a critical shield against climate change, are under intensifying pressure as demand for packaging and man-made cellulosic fibers – like viscose/modal/lyocell  – both grow aggressively. Today’s commitment by House of Anita Dongre will help shift that trend.

“Fashion is not just about what’s next but also what’s good – for the maker, for the wearer and for the planet. Protecting the world's forests is the need of the hour and hence we are partnering alongside Canopy to help conserve the world’s forests and build supply chains that have the health of our planet at their heart,” said Chief Creative Officer Anita Dongre.

House of Anita Dongre is renowned for changing the way women dress in India. From being size inclusive for over twenty years to adopting sustainability in all of its core business, the designs by this fashion house are loved by Bollywood and international celebrities. Canopy’s deep expertise in forest conservation and supply chain transformation position it as a central player in the transition to circular economy production. With 92 million tonnes of waste straw left over every year after the food harvest, and millions of tonnes of textile waste, India is well positioned to be a leader in bringing Next Generation Solutions from the corner of the marketplace to mainstream production. Both parties are excited to work together to accelerate the production of these innovative solutions.

“This is the turn-around decade to address the biodiversity and climate crises before us and to change global supply chains to operate within the bounds of our natural world. House of Anita Dongre models the compassion and innovative spirit that business, civil society, and political leaders need to bring at this key juncture,” said Nicole Rycroft, Canopy’s founder and Executive Director. “We’re excited to be working with Anita and her team to build the solutions that we so desperately need.”

Read House of Anita Dongre’s Policy

Media Contacts:
Canopy Contact
Laura Repas
+1 416-729-7484
communications@canopyplanet.org

About Canopy
Canopy is a not-for-profit environmental organization dedicated to protecting forests, species, and climate. Canopy has collaborated with more than 750 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

About House of Anita Dongre
Anita Dongre is the founder and creative force behind the House of Anita Dongre which proudly boasts of a multi-dimensional portfolio with brands AND, Global Desi and Anita Dongre Couture. The Anita Dongre label works extensively with the crafts of India under its initiative, Grassroot. House of Anita Dongre has close to 1000 points of sale including a flagship store for wedding couture in New York. The two core ideologies at the heart of the fashion house are women's empowerment and sustainability. www.anitadongre.com