Next Gen Now
Published:
by: Neva Murtha
- News
We are on the verge of a historic shift in how the world manufactures and packages its goods. That’s why we are excited that Canopy was given a $60 million investment through The Audacious Project — we are in a pivotal moment and this funding will help us revolutionize the world’s supply chains and ensure we keep our planet livable and vibrant.
Our Audacious work is in catalyzing a dramatic scale up of Next Gen production capacity and purchasing to eliminate sourcing from climate critical forests from the paper, packaging and viscose supply chains.
Innovative sources of fibre exist all around us and don’t have to cost the Earth. From using wheat straw and agricultural waste, or repurposed textiles that were otherwise bound for the incinerator or landfill, Next Gen solutions can make paper packaging and fashion fabrics without cutting down the world’s precious forests.
Next Gen solutions aren’t just a future fantasy — they are a portfolio of forest-free alternatives that are ready for market now. They use clean production processes, create a profitable use for inputs that would otherwise be discarded in landfills or burned, and can contribute to healthier, more profitable communities. By comparison, logging trees for pulp at the current scale releases nearly 700 million metric tons of CO2e every year, and is water and chemical intensive.
So what are the planetary benefits of Next Gen solutions? They have 95% to 130% less GHG emissions, 88% to 100% less land-use impacts and 5x lower impact on biodiversity and threatened species, and use greener or no chemicals in the production process.
By rapidly scaling Next Gen solutions, we can shift away from a "take, make, waste" model of production and toward a more sustainable way of life and ultimately a safer climate that will secure our future.
Thanks to the commitment of 900 brand partners across the world — and with your continued support — we’re closer than ever to saving valuable forests worldwide. Visit our website to learn more and the impact we’re looking to have.
