Indian fashion brands Doodlage, Lovebirds, Ka-Sha, Paiwand Studio, Sonam Khetan, and Urvashi Kaur have joined Canopy, an environmental non-profit organization focused on safeguarding climate- and biodiversity-critical forests and promoting circular fashion solutions. These brands join Indian sustainability leaders Flipkart and Anita Dongre, as well as Canopy’s international network of over 950 companies. The partnership highlights India’s increasing role in driving sustainable supply chains and forest protection.
This announcement was made during Canopy’s “Fashion for Forests” event in New Delhi, which brought together Indian fashion brands, designers, and innovators to discuss reducing the fashion industry’s impact on ancient and endangered forests. The event also focused on scaling up Next Gen materials, which are made from recycled clothing and agricultural residues instead of trees, for use in textiles and packaging.
“These brands reflect the soul and future of Indian fashion — craftsmanship, innovation, and being on the leading edge of the sustainability transition,” said Nicole Rycroft, Founder and Executive Director of Canopy.
“India has a remarkable opportunity to not only protect its rich biodiversity but also become a global leader in low-impact Next Gen textiles that mitigate climate change and air pollution whilst spurring community advancement. We are thrilled to partner with these trailblazing brands to turn India’s opportunity into reality.”
India has significant potential to lead in developing Next Gen solutions, which offer alternatives to conventional wood fibers for paper, packaging, and textiles. These solutions utilise materials such as discarded textiles and agricultural residues that would otherwise be landfilled or burned. With an estimated 500 million tonnes of agricultural residues burned annually in India, contributing to 3.5% of global warming and severe air pollution, transforming these residues into textiles and packaging could position the country as a leader in low-carbon, circular materials. This shift could enable the production of up to 10 million tonnes of Next Gen materials annually while reducing environmental harm and creating sustainable economic opportunities.
“At Lovebirds, we believe in creating with purpose and responsibility. Partnering with Canopy Planet is a natural step in our journey to protect forests and prioritize sustainability in every aspect of our work—from fabric sourcing to packaging,” said Gursi Singh and Amrita Khanna, Founders of Lovebirds.
By joining Canopy’s initiatives, these brands contribute to the global CanopyStyle initiative, which now includes 560 brand partners with collective annual revenues exceeding $1.06 trillion. Participating brands can mitigate the risk of sourcing from ancient and endangered forests by choosing viscose producers with green shirt ratings in Canopy’s Hot Button Report, an annual assessment of global viscose producers. Additionally, Canopy’s Pack4Good initiative aims to eliminate the use of virgin forest fibre in paper packaging and has attracted commitments from 432 brands with combined annual revenues exceeding $240 billion.
“At Ka-Sha, through this partnership, we are furthering our endeavours towards responsible production and consumption by committing to protect forests through our paper, packaging, and fabric choices. Working with Canopy will help us achieve mutually aligned goals and support our existing circular system more effectively,” said Karishma Shahani Khan, Founder of Ka-Sha, adding, “Their innovation with Next Gen materials will give us the chance to explore new materials and expand the possibilities of what our work could look like in the future.”
These partnerships demonstrate how the fashion industry can drive positive environmental change, from scaling circular clothing and packaging made from agricultural residues and textile waste to fostering sustainable economic growth.
