More international brands partner with Canopy, making sustainability the hot trend for spring.

What do a Canadian retail empire on the rise, a major grocery and fashion retailer, a boutique LA-based luxury brand, a Swedish clothing chain founded on affordability, a fast fashion chain and an iconic international fashion company all have in common? They have all recently signed sustainable sourcing policies with CanopyStyle .

Canopy is thrilled to announce its latest brand partnerships in the successful CanopyStyle initiative, which now has more than 65 major fashion brands, designers and retailers pledged to end the use of ancient and endangered forests in their rayon supply chains.

The aforementioned companies launching their forest and fabric policies this week include Esprit , the iconic retailer which, in joining CanopyStyle, marries forest-solutions with its landmark international fashion company, huge grocery and retail chain Tesco , Simons , a leading fashion outlet currently enjoying a successful expansion across Canada, KappAhl , the Swedish fashion chain, international fast fashion chain New Look and sustainable luxury brand, Sage Larock .

These commitments add further momentum to CanopyStyle - which is currently one of the fastest moving environmental issues in the apparel sector. Today’s announcement is part of a busy time for the CanopyStyle campaign. Not only are new companies joining the initiative, but representatives from Canopy will be attending a viscose producers’ summit this month in China, and in June we will be presenting the initiative at the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit in New York.

Beyond developing endangered forest policies with forward-looking fashion brands, Canopy is also working with rayon and viscose producers to implement their own parallel commitments. Producers representing ~65% of global production now have formal commitments in place. Audits verifying the status of policy implementation by these producers are expected over the coming months. Canopy will then analyze the performance of rayon producers, drawing on the audits and other aspects of their commitments so brands have a clear sense of which suppliers are leading efforts to eliminate controversial sources from their supply chain and conserve endangered forest landscapes.

Championing the use of recycled clothing and/or non-wood fibers, rather than trees, as sources for fabric production is a critical element of the CanopyStyle initiative, as this type of sourcing will systemically alleviate stress on forest ecosystems and help kick start a circular economy.

Another key component in CanopyStyle is leadership to help secure conservation of key ancient and endangered forests like the Broadback Forest in Canada’s Boreal forest, Vancouver Island’s Rainforests and Indonesia’s Leuser Ecosystem. Working in tandem with our partner brands, producers, and other environmental groups, Canopy continues to advance conservation solutions on the ground in these critically important global forests. Our experience in landmark agreements like the Great Bear Rainforest show that engagement of customer companies like Esprit, Simons, Sage Larock, New Look and KappAhl is key in securing these landscapes of hope.

Read more about CanopyStyle and our partners here .