Sustainability

ROPAMINE Commitment to Protect Forests Through Our Paper, Packaging and Fabrics Choices

Ropamine has always been committed to sustainability in all of our clothing. For this reason, Ropamine is committed to protecting the world’s forests through our approach to procurement of pulp, paper, packaging, and fabrics.

As substitutions for single-use plastics are sought out, it is recognized that the environmental issues arising with an increase in demand for forest-based products as a substitute must be addressed. This policy looks to support the necessary shift away from single-use plastics concurrent with the pressing need for conservation of Ancient and Endangered Forests.

Conservation of Ancient and Endangered Forests and Ecosystems

Ropamine will support approaches and systems to build a future that does not use Ancient and Endangered Forests[1] in packaging, paper, or man-made cellulosic fabrics, including rayon, 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[2] habitat.

To do this, we will:

Work with Canopy and our suppliers to support collaborative and visionary solutions that protect remaining Ancient and Endangered Forests in the Coastal Temperate Rainforests on Vancouver Island[3] and the Great Bear Rainforest[4], Canada’s Boreal Forests[5], and Indonesia’s Rainforests.[6]
Assess our existing use of man-made cellulosics, packaging, and paper and eliminate sourcing from endangered species habitat and Ancient and Endangered Forests such as the Canadian and Russian Boreal Forests; Coastal Temperate Rainforests; tropical forests and peatlands of Indonesia, the Amazon, and West Africa by 2025.
Work to eliminate sourcing from companies that are logging forests illegally[7]; tree plantations[8] established after 1994 through the conversion or simplification of natural forests; or areas being logged in contravention of First Nations/tribal/indigenous peoples’ and community rights or from other controversial suppliers.
At any time prior to 2025, if we find that any of our products are sourced from Ancient and Endangered Forests, endangered species habitat, or illegal logging, we will act immediately and engage our suppliers to change practices, eliminate these sources, and/or re-evaluate our relationship with them.

Design and Prioritization of Reduction and Reuse

The reduction and reuse of paper and packaging is a paramount priority for the protection of the world’s limited forest resources and has a clear and beneficial impact on reduced costs.

Therefore, over the next year, Ropamine will prioritize the development of a reduction and reuse strategy with targets and timelines. Over the next 3 years, Ropamine will:

Source or design re-usable/refillable shipping boxes to reduce corrugated paper and paperboard.
Design and implement e-commerce, shipping, display, and wrapping systems that minimize the use of paper.
Utilize re-useable packaging systems for intra-business applications.
Increase the use of digital communication, marketing, and accounting systems.
Adopt best practices, including researching and applying emerging and circular economy innovations.

Shift to More Environmentally and Socially Beneficial Fabrics

Ropamine will collaborate with Canopy, innovative companies, and suppliers to encourage the development of fiber sources that reduce environmental and social impacts, with a focus on agricultural residues[9] and recycled fabrics. We will participate in trials where appropriate.

In 2023, Ropamine will put in place a preference for purchasing man-made cellulosic products that include a minimum of 50% of these innovative fiber sources and develop a 2025 procurement target for these closed-loop solutions based on viscose fiber producer innovation.

Improve Environmental Quality of Packaging and Paper

Ropamine will collaborate with Canopy, innovative companies, and suppliers to encourage the development of Next Generation Solutions and packaging and paper[10] that reduce environmental and social impacts, with a focus on agricultural fibers (particularly residues)10 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[11], Ropamine will:

Do an annual review of all of our paper and packaging use in order to identify areas where we can increase paper use efficiencies, reduce paper and packaging basis weights, and save money and resources.
Give preference to paper/packaging with high recycled content, specifically post-consumer waste content reaching an overall recycled fiber content in our papers and packaging of at least 50% average within 3 years.
Encourage our suppliers to continuously improve and expand the availability of recycled content in papers/packaging.
Source packaging and paper from alternative fibers such as wheat straw or other agricultural residues, when possible.
Support research and development of commercial-scale production of pulp, paper, and packaging from alternative fiber sources such as wheat straw and other alternative fibers, including participation in trials as appropriate.

Forest Certification

Where the above conditions are met (including 1-4), Ropamine will request that all fabric, packaging, and paper sourced from forests are from responsibly managed forests, certified to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification system, and where FSC-certified plantations[12] are part of the solution.

Recognizing, Respecting and Upholding Human Rights and the Rights of Communities

Ropamine 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.[13] 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

Ropamine recognizes 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.

Safeguarding Water and Critical Systems

Ropamine recognizes 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.

Support Best Processing Practices and Procurement

Ropamine requires that our man-made cellulosic suppliers use best available environmental practices for processing, such as the ‘closed-loop’ lyocell processing.

We will give purchasing preference to paper and packaging that have been processed utilizing technologies such as chlorine-free bleaching[14].

Promote Industry Leadership

Ropamine looks to create a positive impact together with our suppliers, partners, and customers. As implementation progresses, Ropamine will work with suppliers, non-governmental organizations, other stakeholders, and brands that work with Canopy to support the protection of Ancient and Endangered Forests and forward solutions to reduce the demands upon forests. We will also seek opportunities to educate and inform the public on these issues and solutions through our marketing and communications.

Alexandra Ursan,

Founder, Ropamine