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Photographer: Paul Hilton
Every year, three billion trees are cut down to produce paper packaging. Three billion trees – that’s an area of forest the size of Germany, every year. Vital forest ecosystems are being destroyed to produce both packaging and MMCFs (manmade cellulosic fibres) such as modals, viscose, lyocell or acetate.
We’ve always thought this is pretty horrific, which is why we used bamboo instead of hardwood trees from the beginning. It’s naturally less destructive to harvest, superfast growing and can have a net positive impact on biodiversity when grown and managed in the right way. We recognise that even with bamboo, there are risks. So, we continually trace our bamboo viscose right back to the source and we’re working with experts to ensure it is being grown in the right way and the land is being managed properly.
For more on our bamboo approach CLICK HERE.
We continue to learn more and to measure to improve these conditions. But that doesn’t mean we should rest on our laurels and be content to rest there.
The CanopyStyle Commitment
We need as an industry to make a stand and change how we approach our businesses: put an end of such destruction through our processes and help you make an easy (and good) choice. The only way we can overcome the challenges in clothing manufacturing is through collaboration – together, we can change the industry for good.
Organisations like Canopy are making it easier for businesses, big and small to do this and drive real change. One of the fastest moving environmental initiatives in the fashion sector, CanopyStyle partners with leaders in the industry to protect forests, drive supply chain transformation, and spur the production of low-impact and recycled fibres. Brands making the CanopyStyle commitment are joining a network of big and smaller brands to help foster collaboration and drive change faster. This can be through new tech, connections with suppliers and sources. CanopyStyle also monitors supplier practices and provide guidance on improvement and hold brands to account to provide customers transparency through Canopy Hot Button Report.
First, we are committing to reducing the amount of virgin resources we use – which is why we’re so focused on new innovative fibres and circularity with our award-winning 73 Zero range. In addition, we will work with Canopy and push beyond our current approach to packaging. To avoid using plastics, we use recycled and FSC certified packaging. Yet, that’s just the first few steps. We’re looking at new ways to do this and, working within the family of brands that have signed up to the CanopyStyle commitment, we’ll try to create and use the next generation of packaging too.
“As a business that prioritises using nature-based materials in our packaging and our clothing, it is our responsibility to ensure we are doing everything in our power to protect nature.” Says Merryn Chilcott, Sustainability and Technical Manager.
“Conserving natural resources by creating circular products and promoting the protection and regeneration of ecosystems through our sourcing of lower impact materials are important parts of BAM’s Impact Positive strategy, and this aligns perfectly with the aims of the Canopy Style initiative.”
Below is our commitment to both our packaging and fibre usage and how we plan to be and remain free of materials from ancient and endangered forests; reduce material use; and to maximise recycled and alternative fibres. We will be reporting back on our progress in our yearly reports and throughout the year in things like our new product launches.
Photographer: Andrew Wright
COMMITMENT TO PROTECTING NATURE, CLIMATE & PEOPLE THROUGH OUR PAPER, PACKAGING AND FIBRE SOURCING
BAM is committed to being an Impact Positive company through everything we do and purchase. As part of this mission, BAM is committed to intentional sourcing to conserve and protect natural resources. As we primarily promote and use natural materials, we recognise the need to protect the world’s forests through sustainable procurement.
Our Impact Positive strategy focuses on creating products that regenerate Nature, Climate, and People. These pillars translate to our sourcing for both paper and packaging products, as well as any fibres made from cellulosic pulp (MMCFs) we source for our products.
PACKAGING & SUPPLIES
Reduce and Reuse
BAM recognises the need to conserve resources, especially for the protection of the world’s limited forests. Over the next year, BAM will prioritise the development of a reduction and reuse strategy with targets and timelines, inspired by the following goals:
Improve Environmental Quality of Packaging, Paper, and other Supplies
BAM will collaborate with Canopy, innovative companies and suppliers to encourage the development of Next Generation Solutions and packaging and paper that reduce environmental and social impacts, with a focus on agricultural fibres (particularly residues) and recycled content. We will use Canopy’s EcoPaper Database and The Paper Steps as a guide for paper and packaging sourcing.
To help reduce the footprint of the paper and packaging we use, BAM will:
Photographer: Andrew Wright
FIBRE USAGE
Shift to More Environmentally and Socially Beneficial Fabrics
The majority of BAM’s fibre purchases are from bamboo. BAM utilises bamboo for its many positive environmental attributes, including low water use, greenhouse gas emissions savings, and relatively quick regeneration. BAM is actively working on mapping our entire value chain so that we can ensure our purchasing is in alignment with our Impact Positive goals. BAM has now mapped our bamboo viscose value chain back to raw material source and is working with external experts to assess cultivation & harvesting practices and ensure no poor environmental practices are occurring. Understanding our value chain is an important part of our work towards circularity and consistently reducing the amount of virgin raw materials needed to make our products.
Where we believe it is of environmental and social benefit, we will request from our suppliers that bamboo viscose is sourced from forests or plantations that are certified to FSC.
BAM has prioritised fabric innovation within and outside of bamboo. As a part of our commitment to circularity, BAM is actively supporting & funding research into new, innovative and 2nd generation feedstocks for MMCFs to reduce our reliance on virgin natural materials. BAM will continue to contribute to sustainable developments through our Fibre Sourcing Strategy. To accomplish this, BAM will collaborate with Canopy, innovative companies, suppliers, and academia to encourage the development of fibre sources that reduce environmental and social impacts, with a focus on regenerative agricultural practices, recycled and next generation materials. We will participate in trials where appropriate.
Support Best Processing Practices and Procurement
BAM is committed to ensuring that our man-made cellulosic suppliers use best available environmental practices for processing. These practices should be verified through EU BAT assessments and supplier completion of the ZDHC MMCF module. BAM suppliers should create and share corrective action plans for implementing any recommendations that come out of the EU BAT or ZDHC MMCF module assessments.
ENTIRE VALUE CHAIN
Conservation of Ancient and Endangered Forests and Ecosystems
BAM will support approaches and systems to build a future that does not use Ancient and Endangered Forests in the packaging, paper or in man-made cellulosic fabrics, including viscose, lyocell, modal and other trademarked brands. We will influence these supply chains in order to protect the world’s remaining Ancient and Endangered Forests and endangered species habitat.
To do this, we will:
Photographer: Paul Hilton
RECOGNISING, RESPECTING & UPHOLDING HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE RIGHTS OF COMMUNITIES
BAM will request that our suppliers respect the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and acknowledge indigenous and rural communities legal, customary or user rights to their territories, land, and resources. To do so, we request that our suppliers acknowledge the right of Indigenous People and rural communities to give or withhold their Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) before new logging rights are allocated or plantations are developed. We request that our suppliers resolve complaints and conflicts, and remediate human rights violations through a transparent, accountable, and agreeable dispute resolution process.
REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS FOOTPRINT
BAM recognises the importance of forests as carbon storehouses and their role in maintaining climate stability. As part of our ongoing leadership on climate we will support initiatives that advance forest conservation to reduce the loss of high carbon stock forests, by encouraging suppliers to avoid harvest in these areas, and by giving preference to those that use effective strategies to actively reduce their greenhouse gas footprint. BAM utilises bamboo in part because of the relatively low impact of harvesting the material and how quickly a bamboo forest can regenerate. Bamboo harvests can be accomplished with a fraction of the disturbance and carbon emissions than hardwood tree harvests.
SAFEGUARD WATER & CRITICAL SYSTEMS
BAM recognises that Ancient and Endangered Forests are vitally important systems for the protection and regulation of water from the local to global level. Large areas of contiguous forest act as a biotic pump helping to move moisture from coastal areas to the interior of continents. We give preference to those suppliers that use effective strategies to actively maintain and restore forest intactness to maintain forests’ function of regulating the flow and purity of water at a micro and macro scale.
PROMOTE INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP
BAM looks to create a positive impact together with our suppliers, partners and customers. BAM will continue to work with suppliers, non-governmental organisations, other stakeholders and brands that work with Canopy to protect and regenerate natural and human resources in our supply chain. We will specifically support the protection of Ancient and Endangered Forests and forward solutions to reduce the demands upon these and other ecosystems. We will also seek opportunities to educate and inform the public on issues of regenerative sourcing through our communications within our Impact Positive framework.