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Seeing the Forest for the Trees: The Business Case for Next Gen Viscose
Transitions don't have to take decades
NEXT GENWARP SPEED
A pre-competitive strategy to bring Next Gen MMCFs to your fibre basket at scale, and without a significant cost premium.
Next Gen Warp Speed (NGWS) aligns brands, man-made cellulosic fibre (MMCF) producers, dissolving pulp innovators, traceability, and ecosystem partners to scale Next Generation MMCF. Join at no fee.
CHALLENGES FACING NEXT GEN TODAY
- THE MARKET CHALLENGE
Availability, minimum order quantities (MOQ), consistent quality, and price all hold the supply chain back. - PATCHY DEMAND SIGNALS
No company can solve it alone. The scale of demand is not yet sufficient to unlock producers' and investor confidence. - ECONOMY OF SCALE
Economy of scale benefits can’t kick in until Next Gen MMCF producers have secured demand to justify production growth.
NEXT GEN WARP SPEED BRIDGES THE FIBRE TRANSITION GAP
- Aligned market demand for 5% Next Gen content in MMCF unlocks the system.
- A strategy that fits within brands existing procurement conventions
- Enables a predictable, achievable market demand for consistent, affordable supply.
- Supports the ready-to-scale technologies now
THE SOLUTION: TWO COMPLIMENTARY OPTIONS TO ACT
1
Through the Green Shirt rated lines you already buy
The technology to scale Next Gen MMCF is ready. We need to act in alignment together to accelerate broader access and adoption.
- Brands ask their existing suppliers for a 5% Next Gen option
- Producers dedicate an existing eco-branded line for 5% Next Gen content production
- Each brand puts eligble eco-branded lines into preferred-sourcing guide/manual
- Buyers and producers make their own commercial agreements. Canopy brings the demand together and tracks progress
One small shift made collectively that ripples out.
- Breaks the stalemate in the value chain
- Across more fibre lines
- Closer to cost parity
- Consistent quality
- Addresses MOQ barrier
2
20-50% High Content
On Label Circularity Claims
Brands continue - or begin - to procure higher-percentage Next Gen MMCF from Green Shirt producers with these lines
- On-product circularity claim
- Reach recycled targets faster
- Dedicated eco-fibre lines
BENEFITS
Inspired by successful buyer alliances, Canopy does the market-building work while participating companies retain commercial choice.
Low commitment, high impact:
- Pre-competitive approach reduces barriers
-
Access Next Gen MMCFs without a significant cost premium
-
Be regulation-ready
-
Future-proof your fibre basket
-
Opportunities for storytelling and marketing
Be an early mover and leader.
WHY NOW
MOVING EARLY ON 5%
T2T BY 2028 IS A
LOW-REGRET
OPTION
- SUPPLY
Geopolitical instability, floods, fires, and drought are already disrupting pulp mills, harvest schedules, and availability of wood. - POLICY
EU Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)- and Ecodesign for Sustainable Products (ESPR)-style fees and recycled-content requirements bring costs of roughly USD 0.11-0.57 (€0.10–0.50)/kg to non-adopters. - PRICE
Wood-pulp prices have shocked by 4-16% before — T2T offers a hedge against this volatility as climate and geopolitical pressures mount.
FAQ
From a quality and chemical content perspective, no style redesign would be required.
Yes traceability is possible. On-product claims can not be made with the 5% Next Gen MMCF content and can be made with the higher Next Gen content. Garments made with 100% eco-branded viscose can still be backed by transaction certificates and traceability through providers.
Yes, but in small batches. A list of Green Shirt producers currently supplying Next Gen content MMCF can be found in Canopy’s Hot Button report. As the initiative takes hold brands can request eco-branded MMCF content from participating Green Shirt producers in the alliance through their Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers without requiring any new onboarding or redesign.
There is no cost to joining Next Gen Warp Speed. The purpose of this strategy is to provide broader access to Next Gen MMCFs and to address the cost barriers that are preventing scaling. Specific price discussions should happen between brands and suppliers directly.
All brands and all Green Shirt producers are welcome to join the initiative.
As the convenor and coordinator of Next Gen Warp Speed, we will mobilize brands and producers, provide technical and commercial validation, and help establish traceability and claims. In addition to the convenor role, Canopy will develop the business case for scaling Next Gen MMCF and mobilize investment and capital to support growth of Next Gen production.
