The 2019 Hot Button Ranking of Viscose Producers is Here!

Canopy’s 2019 Hot Button Ranking of Global Viscose Producers: More ‘green shirts’ and a focus on Next Generation Solutions reveal real change in real time for the world’s forests

  Vancouver, Canada. December 18, 2019. As more than 200 brands and retailers move to eliminate Ancient and Endangered Forests from their viscose and rayon fabrics by the end of 2020, environmental not-for-profit Canopy has published its 2019 Hot Button Ranking . Now a “go-to” resource for brands as they assess their man-made cellulosic fibre (MMCF) and identify which producers best meet their CanopyStyle commitments, the 2019 Hot Button shows a significant jump in the volume of MMCF manufactured by producers with ‘green shirt’ rankings. ‘Green shirt’ producers now account for 42.5% of global viscose production as more producers take action to remove risk of sourcing from Ancient and Endangered Forests and introduce innovative feed-stocks such as recycled clothing.

“H&M is proud to be part of the CanopyStyle initiative through our commitment to end all sourcing from the world’s remaining ancient and endangered forests,” said Anna Gedda, H&M, Head of Sustainability. “We look forward to only sourcing from suppliers that have successfully completed the CanopyStyle audit and attained a ‘green shirt’ in the Hot Button, so that we can help to secure a future for the many species and communities that depend on the world’s forests. H&M will continue to work with Canopy, other brands and entrepreneurs to rapidly advance next generation textiles like clothing made from recycled fabrics.”

 

Highlights of Producer Performance in 2019 include:

• Zero to 42.5% green shirts in six years: Birla Cellulose, ENKA, Kelheim, Lenzing, Tangshan Sanyou and Xinxiang Chemical Fiber (Bailu) all earn green shirt designation – with Birla Cellulose and Lenzing obtaining the first-ever partial dark green shirts.
• Three producers are now selling viscose made from recycled textiles and 11 producers have made investments for the advancement of Next Gen solutions.
• Seven percent of the industry’s production capacity earned ‘yellow/green shirt’ with Yibin Grace, Formosa and Eastman putting policies into action and showing significant continuous progress.
• Five producers developed new policies in 2019 including by the world’s 5th largest viscose producer Zhongtai Textile Company Ltd, Jilin, Formosa, ITOCHU Corporation Textile Company Fashion Apparel Division and Kelheim. This now means that a total of 17 viscose producers that represent 84 % of global viscose production have formal CanopyStyle policies in place.
• Twelve producers, which represent 70% of global production capacity, are now formally and actively engaged in the CanopyStyle Audit process.
• Eleven producers have taken action to support the conservation of critical forest landscapes, such as Indonesia’s Leuser Ecosystem, Canada’s Boreal Broadback Forest and Vancouver Island Rainforests, including Aditya Birla who has seeded initial investments in support of science-based conservation planning.
• Five producers have ‘red shirts’, which indicates they do not meet minimum requirement for compliance.

“With urgent calls for action by climate and wildlife scientists, bold systematic change of global supply chains is needed. The 2019 Hot Button shows that the viscose supply chain is changing in real time as CanopyStyle nears a critical mass of producer engagement and exciting advances in Next Generation Solutions,” says Nicole Rycroft, Canopy Founder and Executive Director. “As the 2020 countdown begins in earnest, we know that CanopyStyle partners will play an increasingly active role in advancing large-scale forest conservation and bringing new fabrics to market made entirely from low impact, Next Gen raw materials.”

The 2019 edition of the Hot Button Ranking can be accessed online via an interactive platform, available in both English and Mandarin . An adapted version of this media release is available in Mandarin: 2019年Canopy纽扣排名报告 - Media Release - 2019年12月17日 .

 

For more information:
Laura Repas
Canopy
+1 416 729 7484 Canopy Canopy is an international not-for-profit environmental organization dedicated to protecting our forests, species and climate. Canopy collaborates with more than 750 companies to develop innovative solutions, to make their fibre supply chains more sustainable, and to help protect our world’s remaining ancient and endangered forests. Canopy’s partners include H&M, Sprint, Penguin Random House, Zara, TC Transcontinental, The Globe and Mail , and Scholastic. Canopy’s work relies on the support of individual donors who share our passion for the planet.