Canopy tightens Hot Button criteria for MMCF producers from 2027

Canopy will apply new, stricter criteria in its 2027 Hot Button Report, raising the bar for the 28 man-made cellulosic fibre (MMCF) producers it assesses and, by extension, for the more than 550 fashion brands that use the annual ranking to guide viscose, lyocell and acetate purchasing decisions.

The environmental non-profit unveiled the updated framework this week. It shifts the assessment's centre of gravity toward three priorities: scaling next-generation fibre solutions, improving supply chain traceability, and strengthening forest protection through landscape-level conservation initiatives. Next-generation fibres include alternative feedstocks such as recycled textiles.

What changes in the assessment structure?

Canopy has streamlined the evaluation from seven categories to five. The revised criteria set clearer targets, expressed in both volumes and percentages, and they recognise that small, medium and large producers have different capabilities.

The rating system itself shrinks to three shirt colours. A red shirt flags producers with known high-risk sourcing. A green shirt signals low or no known risk of sourcing from Ancient and Endangered Forests or using controversial fibre. Yellow sits between the two.

For sourcing teams, the practical effect is a simpler scorecard. A supplier's shirt colour now carries a sharper, binary-at-the-edges message about forest risk, which makes vendor screen-outs and preferred-supplier lists easier to defend internally.

How was the framework built?

Canopy consulted all 28 MMCF producers currently assessed by the initiative, together with selected brand partners, before finalising the criteria. The organisation also ran a legal review to align the framework with international legislation — a step that matters for buyers mapping MMCF sourcing against emerging due-diligence laws on deforestation and supply chain transparency.

Maryann Ramirez, Senior Lead at Canopy, said the initiative had reshaped how the industry understands the link between fibre sourcing and forest protection.

"The Hot Button helped change the conversation about where fashion's fibres come out of," she did not say — rather, in her words: "The Hot Button helped change the conversation about where fashion's fibres come from. Ten years ago, the industry was asking whether viscose could be sourced without destroying the world's most vital forests. Today, we have the opportunity to build a fibre system that is circular, resilient, and keeps forests standing."

Ramirez also stressed continuity. "Hot Button is a system that must feel fair, equitable, and consistent year-to-year so producers can plan with confidence. At the same time, it must remain flexible enough to credit diverse pathways to impact," she said.

Why does the 2027 date matter for sourcing desks?

The Hot Button initiative has spent a decade scoring viscose, lyocell, acetate and other MMCF producers, focusing on their wood-based raw material sourcing from Ancient and Endangered Forests. More than 550 apparel brands participate in the related CanopyStyle initiative and use the report annually to assess their MMCF suppliers' environmental performance.

Canopy works with more than 1,000 brands, producers and innovators overall, concentrating on next-generation materials that reduce pressure on climate-critical forests.

The revised criteria take effect with the 2027 report, giving MMCF manufacturers roughly a two-year runway to adjust. The decision this news forces on buyers is straightforward: sourcing teams that benchmark viscose and lyocell suppliers against the current seven-category structure should update their supplier scorecards now, and producers still rated yellow or red should treat next-generation fibre volume targets and traceability data as 2027 entry requirements rather than future options.