Man-made cellulosics
Man-made cellulosics (MMC) more commonly known as Viscose, Lyocell and Modal, and are made of dissolved pulp, usually sourced from wood.
We have partnered with the environmental organisation Canopy to help set a framework for the production and wood-sourcing criteria. We’ve developed a Forest Protection Policy (see below), while we are tracing the wood pulp sources in our supply chain. This is a vital step as a CanopyStyle partner, as we have committed to sourcing all MMC from low-risk pulp suppliers (also known as ‘Green Shirt Fibre Producers’).
Due to challenges with transparency in the supply chain, only the MMC sourced from officially Branded and Certified MMC suppliers can be regarded as coming from Green Shirt Fibre Producers. Other MMC fibres could be sourced from these approved suppliers, but, due to the lack of transparency, if we can’t trace the material to the source, we can’t claim the material meets our ambitions.
Our target of sourcing 100 percent of our MMC fibres from Green Shirt Fibre Producers by 2022 is challenged by the lack of transparency in the industry which is why we have invested in different innovative solutions through Invest FWD.
One investment is with Infinited Fiber Company to secure access to the Finnish innovator’s patented fibre Infinna – a unique, premium regenerated textile fibre with the natural, soft look and feel of cotton.
We’ve also invested in Evrnu – a textile innovations company that has invented a new engineered fibre called NuCycl that is made from discarded clothing and can be recycled multiple times.
We collaborate with LENZING™ to explore and test the capabilities of their new carbon neutral fibres, CARBON- ZERO TENCEL™, certified CarbonNeutral® fibres for the textile industry. We sold more than 24,000 garments using these fibres in 2021.
We also expect to finalise our roadmap for tracing 100 percent of our MMC volume back to wood pulp sources throughout our supply chain through the expansion of our partnership with innovator TextileGenesis.
BESTSELLER is committed to driving sustainability forward in the fashion industry. This commitment spans across our entire value chain and our production processes; including the procurement of our raw materials, fabrics and our paper, paperboard and packaging.
Protecting ancient and endangered forests is an important part of protecting the world’s limited forest resource and wildlife. Forests have the ability to capture carbon from the atmosphere, contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, they help regulate and protect global water levels through precipitation and evaporation. Protecting our forests is a prerequisite and a fundamental step to recognising, respecting and upholding human rights and the rights of communities; the rights of their territories, land and resources.
As a member of the Canopy Style and Pack4Good initiatives, we pledge to eliminate sourcing man-made cellulosics, and paper and packaging from endangered species habitat and ancient and endangered forests by 2022, with a preference for Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification when virgin fibre is required. Together with our partners, our suppliers, innovators and other stakeholders, we will support collective and visionary solutions that protect remaining ancient and endangered forests through alternative feedstock innovative solutions such as agricultural residues and closed loop processing.
We are continuously exploring, researching and adopting to industry best practices and in incorporating emerging and circular economy innovations to our sourcing strategy. As such, we give preference for man-made cellulosics fabrics containing at least 50% innovative fibre sources to replace virgin wood pulp in our products containing man-made cellulosics. By 2025, we will develop a procurement target for these close-loop solutions based on available innovations.
Over the next three years, we will be prioritising the reduction and reuse of paper and packaging in our operations. We will also work towards increasing the recycled content in paper and cardboard, specifically post-consumer waste content with the goal of reaching and overall recycled content of at least 50%.
BESTSELLER strives to create a positive impact on those around us together with our suppliers, partners and customers. As implementation progresses, we will work with suppliers, non-governmental organisations, other stakeholders and brands that work with Canopy to support the protection of ancient and endangered forests and to reduce the demands placed upon our forests. We will work to engage with our stakeholders and to educate them on the importance of the preservation of a forest and the implications of damaging it through our marketing and communications.
