US fashion retailer Guess Inc and global specialty retailer American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) are among the latest companies that have pledged to stop sourcing the raw material for their viscose and rayon textiles from ancient and endangered forests.
Also joining the CanopyStyle initiative from environmental not-for-profit Canopy, are outdoor outfitter Eddie Bauer, and Puerto Rico-based, boho-chic brand Valija Gitana.
The latest additions mean the CanopyStyle initiative now has more than 175 participating fashion and apparel brands. These companies represent more than US$250bn market share and are all are committed to ending the use of ancient and endangered forest fibre in their viscose fabrics by 2020, to developing alternative, next-generation sourcing solutions, and helping advance large-scale conservation of landscapes such as Indonesia’s Leuser Ecosystem and Canada’s Boreal Forests.
“We welcome these new companies to CanopyStyle. Their purchasing influence and supply chain engagement will lend strong additional momentum to shifting the viscose supply chain out of ancient and endangered forests once and for all,” says Nicole Rycroft, Canopy founder and executive director. “Brands are increasingly supporting viscose producer leadership and mitigating their own supply chain risks by sourcing only from “green shirt” producers.”
The announcement comes in the run-up to the CanopyStyle Summit in China this coming June, which will bring together multinational retailers looking to join the initiative, along with dozens of CanopyStyle brands, fibre innovators and viscose producers.
Click here to see who has committed to the CanopyStyle initiative.
