Indian e-commerce platform Flipkart and fashion retailer Myntra have partnered with environmental non-profit Canopy to conserve ancient and endangered forests through responsible procurement methods.

The companies have joined Canopy's Pack4Good and CanopyStyle programs in order to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and forest conservation by adopting sustainable packaging and responsible material sourcing.

Flipkart and Myntra will spend the next three years investigating the sourcing or design of reusable/refillable shipping boxes to reduce corrugated paper and paperboard; encouraging the use of recycled, reusable, or FSC certified paper and packaging, as well as sourcing products made from responsibly sourced manmade cellulosic fibers; and designing and implementing e-commerce, shipping, display, and wrapping systems that minimize the use of packaging materials.

Flipkart Group companies will also increase the use of recycled materials in packaging; use reusable packaging systems for intra-business applications; adopt best practices, such as researching and applying emerging and circular economy innovations; increase the use of digital communication, marketing, and accounting systems; and increase the use of responsibly sourced manmade cellulosic fiber for in-house products including lyocell, rayon/viscose, and modal.

Hemant Badri, Senior Vice-President and Head of Supply Chain at Flipkart, said that Flipkart as a domestic e-commerce platform is committed to building a sustainable environment through sourcing responsibly while providing sustainable alternatives for business needs. They’re thrilled to be a part of both the CanopyStyle and Pack4Good efforts in this effort to save the world’s ancient and endangered forests.

The two Flipkart Group companies will convert to sustainable procurement of forest-derived products and trial alternative next-generation solutions to migrate away from forests for raw materials as signatories of Canopy's Pack4Good (packaging) and CanopyStyle (fashion) programs.

Neetu Jotwani, Vice-President and Head of Sourcing at Myntra, said that Myntra is committed to sustainability and has always been at the forefront of industry-first initiatives that reduce carbon footprint while encouraging recycling across the entire supply chain and manufacturing processes to make them more eco-friendly. This partnership with Canopy, as well as the adoption of CanopyStyle for apparel and Pack4Good for packaging, is a significant step toward their objective of reducing single-use plastic and boosting environmentally responsible practices.

Nicole Rycroft, Canopy's executive director, said that India has great potential to be a worldwide leader in the manufacture of NextGen packaging and apparel, and our cooperation with Flipkart and Myntra accelerates efforts to develop these climate-saving solutions on a realistic timeline.