This week, from the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos,
Switzerland, international environmental conservation group Canopy
launched a visionary action plan for transforming the unsustainable global paper
packaging and viscose textile industries.
Survival — A Pulp
Thriller
outlines a plan to save the world’s forests and climate by removing 50 percent
of the forest fiber from pulp manufacturing, and replacing it with
next-generation alternative fibers such as agricultural residues and waste
cotton textiles. According to the report, doing so will enable 30 percent of the
world’s forests to be conserved by 2030.
This latest report by Canopy — which has engaged over 170 fashion brands,
manufacturers and suppliers throughout the global textile chain through its
CanopyStyle
campaign;
and developed an interactive mapping tool called
ForestMapper
to support companies in making better sustainability decisions when purchasing
paper, packaging, lumber and/or viscose fabrics — provides a roadmap for
averting the climate and biodiversity catastrophe within ten years. The IPCC
has listed protection of
forests,
especially original forests, as critical to a safe world.
The transformation, which will cost $69 billion over the next decade, involves
establishing mills that can pulp alternative fibers; introduce
reduction/efficiency initiatives; and plant new, well-sited, well-managed
fiber-supply forests — which in turn enable the restoration of plantations
currently sited on high-carbon/biodiverse landscapes (to put this scale of
investment into context, the manufacturer of Botox sold for $63 billion in
2018). The action plan outlines, in pragmatic terms, the steps that need to be
taken by industries, investors and corporate buyers to safeguard more of the
world’s forests. It has been developed in response to the climate crisis and
extinction crisis threatening thousands of species worldwide.
“This is an action plan to shift global production of pulp, paper, packaging and
viscose textiles out of Ancient and Endangered Forests and help us secure the
scale of conservation that’s needed. Our brand partners want these next-generation solutions, and the technologies are ready,” said Canopy Executive
Director Nicole Rycroft. “We’re thinking big, because there’s no point to
doing anything less. Now is not the time for climate despair, but for
transformative action; and ultimately, hope for our forests, climate, and people
the world over.”
“Collaboration across supply chains, at scales beyond what has been considered
before, is needed in order to address the climate and biodiversity challenges we
face,” said Madelene Ericsson, Environmental Sustainability Business Expert
at H&M, a member of CanopyStyle. “We welcome Canopy’s approach that breaks
the action plan into components for producers, investors and corporate
purchasers of pulp products.”
Maintaining healthy forests will account for one-third of what’s needed to avert
the climate crisis and is critical for terrestrial biodiversity. Achieving that
will require equal measures of innovation and investment.
Transforming fashion through materials innovation
Join us as leaders from Crocs, Hilos, Marchon Eyewear, Planet FWD and Target discuss real-world examples, practical strategies, and supply chain considerations for developing eco-friendly clothing, shoes, and accessories that minimize waste and protect the planet — Tuesday, Oct. 15, at SB'24 San Diego.
“DWS believes that protecting global biodiversity and increasing carbon
sinks from forests will play an instrumental role in sequestering carbon as a
climate change mitigant on a global level. Approaches like Canopy’s, targeting
supply chain sustainability across the paper products and textiles industries,
represent a critical component of this effort,” said Andrew Pidden, Global
Head of Sustainable Investing at DWS (formerly known as Deutsche Asset
Management). “DWS Group, with over 20 years of experience in impact investing,
believes this represents another opportunity to deliver on circular
economy-based investment solutions for corporate clients focused on minimizing
their environmental footprint.”
According to Canopy’s Next-Generation Action Plan, eliminating 50 percent of
wood fiber from pulp, paper, packaging and viscose will require:
-
200 agricultural fiber pulp mills
-
107 recycled-pulp-for-paper mills
-
17 recycled cotton garment and/or microbial cellulose fiber-dissolving pulp
mills
-
7.5 million hectares of new forests for fiber planted on lands not
prioritized for food production, habitat restoration or carbon storage
-
16.65 million tons of consumption will be reduced through reuse and
material-efficient design initiatives.
Canopy believes that this ambitious but achievable scenario provides a clear
path to helping protect our planet for all life.
“Canopy’s call to action points to the essential role of the world’s forests in
mitigating the climate crisis and the growing sense of urgency to prevent
further loss of biodiversity,” said Lisa Morden, VP of Safety &
Sustainability
at Kimberly-Clark.
“In alignment with Canopy’s ambitions, we are continuing the challenging work to
diversify the fiber used in Kimberly-Clark’s products, including progress toward
our goal to replace 50 percent of the fiber we use from natural forests with
alternative sources.”
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Sustainable Brands Staff
Published Jan 22, 2020 1pm EST / 10am PST / 6pm GMT / 7pm CET