CanopyStyle and the ZDHC Roadmap to Zero Program said they are partnering to increase their collaborative work toward taking on the negative impacts of chemical processing, wastewater discharge and raw material sourcing in global viscose production.
The partnership brings together the two organizations’ expertise on different sustainability issues in the fashion industry. ZDHC’s deep knowledge on toxics pollution will combine Canopy’s 20 years of forest expertise and successful CanopyStyle initiative to work toward creating integrated solutions for brands and manufacturers to address the issues related to viscose production.
“ZDHC has incredible expertise in chemical processing and wastewater,” Nicole Rycroft, executive director of Canopy, said. “We share a collaborative and solution-focused approach on how we can improve the ecological footprint of the fashion sector on our forests, species, waterways.”
Since 2011 ZDHC has been working to drive the global implementation of safer chemical management practices in the global textile, apparel, leather and footwear value chain. The collaborative efforts of the ZDHC Roadmap to Zero Program have focused on driving chemical management best practices and related innovations in dyeing and finishing.
Last year, ZDHC expanded its content scope to include the production of man-made cellulosic fibers and develop guidelines for wastewater, sludge, waste and air emissions specific to cellulosic production.
Over the past six years, the CanopyStyle initiative has worked to eliminate the world’s Ancient and Endangered Forests from the production of viscose. The initiative represents 198 clothing brands, retailers and designers collaborating on reaching this goal, and more than 65 percent of the global supply of viscose production is now undergoing CanopyStyle Audits.
CanopyStyle is also working to kickstart new industries that make viscose and fabrics from next-generation sources including recycled clothing and leftover straw.
“Our partnership with Canopy is a natural progression of ZDHC’s work,” Frank Michel, executive director at ZDHC, said. “Since we began our work on viscose, Canopy has provided key insights into the industry and supply chain players. The CanopyStyle initiative’s collaborative model has built awareness and action within the sector, and we are excited to be working together on the key impacts of viscose on our planet.”