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Hosted at the ������ϲʿ�������ֳ�ֱ�� Pavillion in COP16’s Blue Zone, the event brought together financiers, government funding agencies, policy makers, companies and conservation practitioners to explore the critical role of alternative fibres in protecting forests and advancing circularity. Over 5 billion trees, including 1.25 billion from high biodiversity forests, are currently harvested to produce paper packaging, paper, and textiles every year - and as such are significant drivers of habitat degradation and biodiversity loss. Next Gen solutions draw on low-impact, non-wood inputs such as waste textiles, agricultural residues and food waste as substitutes for forest fibre.

Nearly one billion tonnes of accessible cellulosic waste, such as wheat straw as well as discarded textiles, could be transformed into circular packaging and clothing with significantly reduced environmental impacts. Next generation materials can  There is a strong pipeline of Next Gen innovation ready to scale - with some conventional producers already adopting it into their product lines. $78 billion in investments over the next decade could scale 60 million tonnes of Next Gen alternative fibre pulping capacity. This would cut a third of forest fibre, including all Ancient and Endangered Forests, from the pulp, paper and packaging supply chains, enabling their conservation.

“Cross-sector collective action paired with strategic investments to transform supply chains is the only way we will decouple the paper, textiles and packaging industries from degrading climate- and biodiversity-critical forests,” said Nicole Rycroft, Canopy’s Executive Director. “Next Gen solutions are within our reach - the markets are ready as is the technology pipeline. Now we need the financing to scale these solutions for the benefit of humanity, biodiversity and business.”

Currently, global agri-residue capacity stands at roughly 5.8 million tonnes, but technological innovations and industry collaborations are poised to drive significant expansion and give new value to materials that would otherwise be burned, discarded, or landfilled. This offers significant opportunities to countries and regions with significant agricultural sectors and textile production to be early leaders in providing Next Gen solutions to global markets. Doing so will also bring value-added revenue streams to rural communities and urban textile recyclers.

“������ϲʿ�������ֳ�ֱ�� is playing a critical role in supporting partners, including governments, to achieve the Global Biodiversity Framework, solve the ongoing global biodiversity crisis, and create a just world that values and conserves nature,” said Chetan Kumar, Global Head of the ������ϲʿ�������ֳ�ֱ�� Forest and Grasslands Team. “Adoption of and investment in Next Gen production infrastructure is one crucial step towards diverting pressure from vulnerable ecosystems and addressing underlying drivers of deforestation, while also supporting a just and sustainable economic transition that respects the livelihoods and self-determination of local communities.”

The event concluded with a strong call to action for increased investment in scaling Next Gen production - which will unlock the flow of nature positive goods, advance local livelihoods, alleviate pollution, and safeguard some of the world’s most precious ecosystems.