Latest news with #BiologicalDiversityDay
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Innovation is Taking Root, Canopy's Hot Button Impact Assessment Reports
Ten years ago, the sourcing practices behind man-made cellulosic fibers (MMCFs)—think viscose, rayon, lyocell—were 'largely out of view,' Canopy claims, tucked deep in global supply chains and free from industry scrutiny, heavily influencing the not-for-profit's Hot Button Ranking system that debuted in 2016. 'The supply chain was opaque; there was little independent data, no shared performance standard, and limiting understanding of what responsible MMCF sourcing should look like,' a new report from Canopy reads. 'This has changed dramatically.' More from Sourcing Journal Material World: Modern Meadow's Innovera Goes Global EXCLUSIVE: Feben's Mini Twist Finds Pulp Friction With OnceMore Material World: Celebrate Biological Diversity Day With Carp Couture Considering the MMCF sector's supply chain 'unprecedented' transformations over the past decade, the 'From Risk to Resilience: 10 Years of Shifting the MMCF Supply Chain' impact report takes stock of the 'seismic changes' that have occurred, the market signals emerging and the work still ahead. 'In the first years of the Hot Button Report, most MMCF producers fell into the Red or Yellow Shirt categories—ratings that point to elevated risk, limited transparency, and/or a lack of clear sourcing commitments,' the report reads. 'By 2024, the picture has shifted dramatically, with more than 70 percent of producers assessed now holding green or dark green ratings—a reflection of both improved performance and greater participation in the evaluation process.' For context, these scores are given out of 40 potential 'buttons' and translated into a color-coded shirt rating system, ranging from red (high risk) to dark green (leading performance and lower risk). This 'visual shorthand' has become a way for procurement teams to identify preferred suppliers, Canopy said. So much so, the Hot Button Report now tracks 97.5 percent of global MMCF production, up from around 75 percent in 2016—indicating broader industry engagement and transparency. 'We've seen what's possible when brands and producers galvanize around clear performance expectations,' Nicole Rycroft, founder and executive director of Canopy, said in the report. 'The Hot Button Report creates that common reference point for the viscose and MMCF value chain—and it's helping shape how decisions get made and forests get protected.' While initially deemed far-fetched by most producers, per the report, next-gen production is growing. Though these solutions—spanning fibers made from recycled textiles, agricultural residues and other low-impact alternatives—have (largely) yet to launch commercial-scale products, the Hot Button Report directs brands to producers investing in lower-impact innovation rather than determining the solutions that producers should adopt. As of this month, Canopy reported 12 producers have launched commercial-scale next-gen fiber lines 'with early leaders such as Lenzing, Aditya Birla and Sanyou.' Four producers—Jilin Chemical Fiber, Bailu Group, Yibin Grace and Tangshan Sanyou—launched in-house next-gen MMCF and/or pulp capacity. As such, Canopy estimates that next-gen production over the next decade could divert about 34 million metric tons of textile waste from landfills, equivalent to seven Great Pyramids, 721 Titanic ships and over 3,300 Eiffel Towers. While the report confirmed that 'change is happening, sustaining that progress will take shared and concerted commitment.' Producers need to 'deepen traceability of materials all the way back to the forest of origin,' per the report, by scaling the use (and production) of lower-impact fibers and increasing FSC-certified inputs where wood is needed. For the sector at large, this means understanding that gains—while good—are not guaranteed. For producers, 'keeping forests standing' requires 'consistent follow-through' and 'clear market signals' reinforcing the shift to lower-impact sourcing, Canopy said. Brands, meanwhile, must 'turn commitments into action' by developing strong, measurable targets for the adoption of next-gen materials—and integrating those fibers into their supply chains. The report also highlighted the growth of CanopyStyle. The number of brand partners jumped from '65 in 2016 to over 550 at present,' demonstrating growing market demand for responsibly sourced MMCF. The ranking's credibility is underpinned by 'verifiable data, including third-party audits,' with over 35 audits completed and made publicly available across 11 countries, covering 'more than 75 percent of the producers assessed.' 'The results of nearly 10 years of MMCF producer engagement and data analysis tell a story of significant and meaningful change in supplier transparency, sourcing policy uptake, and investment in next-gen materials,' the report reads. 'While not comprehensively capturing all progress in the field, the Hot Button Report offers a distinct vantage point—one shaped by producer disclosure and brand engagement and informed by ongoing third-party audits.' Canopy shared plans to drop its 10th Hot Button Report before COP30 during the last quarter of 2025. That upcoming edition will not only benchmark the sector's standing but also serve as a 'testament to collective action,' with future demands including deeper investments in next-gen, stronger traceability and conservation strategies embedded throughout the supply chain. 'The path forward is clear,' Canopy said. 'The pace of progress will define the decade ahead.'
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Chargeurs Updates ESG Efforts to Halve Carbon Footprint
Chargeurs PCC has dropped an updated ESG strategy. The French interlining firm shared plans to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 46 percent by 2030, as the nucleus of the plan centers around reducing the company's carbon footprint. More from Sourcing Journal EXCLUSIVE: Arvind, Fashion for Good's 'Near-Carbon-Neutral' Factory Initiative Seeks to Break Industry Paralysis Shein's Climate Ambitions Have Been Validated. Now What? Material World: Celebrate Biological Diversity Day With Carp Couture 'As a global company operating across five continents, we feel the responsibility to lead the transition to a more sustainable future,' said Gianluca Tanzi, chairman and CEO of Chargeurs PCC. 'Our mission is to act as pioneers and game changers, playing a leading role in the transformation of the textile industry.' The holistic effort includes designing with circularity, protecting biodiversity and enhancing social corporate governance through 'stringent supply chain oversight.' Chargeurs said this strategy is based on measurable data and integrated actions throughout the value chain. 'We want to continue innovating, providing our customers with solutions that merge excellence and awareness,' Tanzi said. 'This is why we are pursuing a series of real and concrete commitments that will impact not only within our company but also throughout our supply chain—addressing environmental concerns, product innovation and social responsibility.' Those concrete steps include operations already underway at the historic Lainière de Picardie plant in Péronne. Hot water replaced steam systems, and other advanced machinery has been installed, leading to an 11 percent emissions reduction in 2024 alone. In parallel, Chargeurs said, the company has engaged its suppliers to map emissions since December 2024. In pursuit of strengthening its supply chain transparency, 80 percent of its suppliers will have undergone SMETA audits by 2024, with plans in place to extend assessments across the remaining chain. Beyond modernizing infrastructure, Chargeurs is advancing sustainable product innovation, too, in pursuit of reduced energy consumption. Launched in 2023, Chargeurs' Zero-Water Dyeing is a range of interlinings characterized by low water consumption in the dyeing process. Available in 19 colors and made in France, the range can save up to 2,600 liters of water per 1,000 linear meters, according to the company's annual report. This range is part of Chargeurs' Sustainable 360 flagship collection, which uses lower-impact materials. Developed in 2019 and primarily designed using recycled yarn, the range expanded its material composition to cover a broader range of environmentally conscious inputs. Outside of the Zero-Water Dyeing range, this spans recycled, GRS-certified polyester, BCI and GOTS cotton, hemp, Ecovero responsibly-sourced viscose and bio-sourced polyamides, primarily from SMETA audited suppliers. The idea is to reduce microplastic dispersion, reduce water use and mitigate chemical treatments. Since 2021, the company's research and development efforts have focused on reducing chemical substances in formulations, seeing Chargeurs adopt stricter than-industry-average standards, even eliminating certain components when warranted. In 2024, the business line entered close partnerships with leading brands on the joint development of products aligned with their CSR requirements. Chargeurs' R&D laboratory in France has played a central role in providing solutions, developing an internal blacklist of unsustainable components; this voluntary measure clocked 60 percent of products and 90 percent of substances as compliant. Aware of the growing expectations of stakeholders and the group's dependence on raw materials like cotton and wood, biodiversity preservation is another pillar of Chargeurs' green path. To that end, Chargeurs' Lainière de Picardie factory maintains 75 percent of its grounds as a protected natural habitat. Last year, the group launched a reforestation initiative in Brazil, partnering with WeForest to plant 1,500 trees. The company also took part in COP16 Biodiversity in Cali, Colombia, and has entered other international 'ecosystem restoration collaborations' as well. A 'cornerstone' of Chargeurs' sustainability strategy is its staunch commitment to the 'Local for Local' model: an approach reflecting the company's long-term vision of responsible, regionally rooted growth.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bio-Inspired Sparxell Ready to Glitter Bomb the Market
If all that glitters cannot be gold, must it be plastic? Sparxell thinks not. Now, a grant from the European Commission will help the bio-inspired startup find out. The Cambridge spin-out secured roughly a $2.15 million grant (1.9 million euros) from the European Innovation Council (EIC) as the sustainable colorant technologist works to overcome the 'critical technical barriers' with scaling production. More from Sourcing Journal Material World: Celebrate Biological Diversity Day With Carp Couture Chemical Textile Recycler Eeden Closes $20M Funding Round Material World: Still Burning Bras? You Can Bury Balena's The funding—awarded to 'disruptive innovations addressing global challenges,' per Horizon Europe—adds to Sparxell's previous investments and will help secure the startup's foothold in the $48 billion global colorant market. According to Precedence Research, the whitespace in the market sits around a 'healthy compound annual growth rate of up to 12.22 percent. The timing's right, too, as Sparxell reported 'This European Innovation Council funding is transformative for Sparxell, allowing us to accelerate our manufacturing scale-up and overcome key technical challenges much earlier in our development pathway,' Benjamin Droguet, founder and CEO of Sparxell, said. 'With our plant-based technology, we're offering industries a fundamentally different approach to color that works with nature rather than against it while meeting the highest performance standards.' Sparxell was founded in 2022 after scientists discovered a way to replicate vibrant hues found in nature using plant-based cellulose—a renewable, biodegradable resource extracted from waste streams. Sparxell's pigments use the same material that plants and animals use, the company said, to produce its fade-resistant colorants. Thus, its products are toxin-free pigments that allegedly last longer than the incumbent options on the market. Since 'spinning out' in 2023, Sparxell said it has commercially validated 25 fully-funded pilot projects. Since joining LVMH's La Maison des Startups accelerator program last September, Sparxell said it's befriended the luxury market, connecting with a handful of the house's heritage brands, like Loewe and Givenchy. Previously, the color platform technology company was acknowledged by the Biomimicry Institute's Ray of Hope Prize back in November 2023 (with $100,000) before taking home the $250,000 Sustainable Collaborative Prize from Morgan Stanley that December. Last month, Sparxell was named 'Best Sustainability Venture' by the Falling Walls Foundation. Last week in Paris, the eco tech developer took home two more awards from the ChangeNow Summit (including the Coups de Cœur jury-decreed honor) at its annual ESG showcase. This year's summit had 15 major partners (like Kering and Moët Hennessy) and 12 ecosystem partners (like B Lab and Clean Tech Open). In addition to LVMH's La Maison des Startups, Sparxell is also part of the Respond Accelerator by the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt, the automotive group's independent corporate foundation that was named for the Nazi-affiliated industrialist for reportedly rescuing the car czar from bankruptcy (and/or Daimler-Benz) back in 1959. Sparxell joined the six-month program's fifth cohort, last April. In operation with the European startup hub UnternehmerTUM, the program has, since launching in 2020, supported over 50 startups solving for net-zero. Currently, Sparxell said, the team is focused on fundraising to accelerate market adoption across various industrial verticals. Sign in to access your portfolio
