Copenhagen Fashion Week is looking to make real change within the
fashion industry with its new Sustainability Action Plan 2020-2022,
unveiled at the opening of its autumn/winter 2020 season, which includes a
radical new approach that will require brands to demonstrate their
sustainability standards.
At a press conference, Copenhagen Fashion Week, chief executive Cecilie
Thorsmark, said that the action plan was a part of the continued
reinvention of the regional bi-annual event, reinforcing the event’s
sustainable profile in becoming fashion’s sustainability capital, while
“reducing negative impacts, innovating business models and accelerating
industry change” and would be two-fold approach, covering not only the
event itself but also the industry as a whole.
Thorsmark, added: “All industry players – including fashion weeks – have
to be accountable for their actions and be willing to change the way
business is done. The timeframe for averting the devastating effects of
climate change on the planet and people is less than a decade, and we’re
already witnessing its catastrophic impacts today. Put simply, there can be
no status quo.”
At the heart of the Sustainability Action Plan is the implementation of
a new minimum sustainability requirements in order for brands to
participate on the official show schedule that will access brands
sustainability credentials, as it looks to not only facilitate fashion
shows but also set an ambitious agenda to drive as Thorsmark explained that
the industry has already “reached a stage where transformation is urgently
needed”.
“We are in a climate crisis,” stated Thorsmark. “Climate change is here
and it is threatening our planet and our lives, and the fashion industry is
one of the biggest offenders, account for up to 10 percent of global
greenhouse gas emissions. As an industry we are not progressing fast enough
to cancel out the negative impacts.
“Copenhagen Fashion Week is the cultural and commercial meeting place of
the Scandinavian fashion industry. This gives us an enormous responsibility
and the potential to create impactful change in the industry at large. By
taking this direction we go from being a traditional event to being a
platform for industry change.”
Copenhagen Fashion Week launches sustainability plan, as AW20 event
begins
From January 2023, all brands will have to comply with 17 minimum
standards set out by an expert panel, such as pledging not to destroy
unsold clothes, using at least 50 percent certified, organic, upcycled or
recycled textiles in all collections, using only sustainable packaging and
having zero-waste set designs for their shows.
Each brand will be required to submit an application, and answer a yes
and no questionnaire, with all brands needing to achieve a minimum score
based on points awarded for six areas of the value chain: strategic
direction, design, smart material choices, working conditions, consumer
engagement and shows. To test out the scheme, organisers said that a pilot
would be carried out in 2020 to collect data on the current baseline to
determine the score required to participate in 2023.
“As a biannual event we are unable to directly influence the everyday
operations of brands, but we are convinced that the requirements will be
fundamental in pushing the industry towards more responsible and innovative
business practices, even beyond their shows or presentations, by creating
guidelines, supporting innovation and showing good practices,” added
Copenhagen Fashion Week in the report.
These sustainability requirements were reviewed by a panel of
international experts including Orsola de Castro of Fashion Revolution,
Professor Dilys Williams from the Centre for Sustainable Fashion and
Professor of Biological Oceanography Katherine Richardson.
“The action plan and its sustainability requirements reflect my
conviction that highly ambitious goals are required to fully leverage
Copenhagen Fashion Week’s influence and impact on the industry,” explained
Thorsmark. “The urgency of the situation we find ourselves in today pushes
me to believe that we can no longer simply hope that progress will occur of
its own accord.”
The Sustainability Action Plan 2020-2022 was developed in 2019 with
Copenhagen Fashion Week’s knowledge partner, In Futurum, founded by Moussa
Mchangama and Frederik Larsen, alongside the event’s Board of Directors and
Sustainability Advisory Board, comprising of industry profiles such as
Ganni’s founder Nicolaj Reffstrup, Global Fashion Agenda’s chief executive
Eva Kruse and Vogue Australia’s sustainability editor-at-large Clare Press.
The plan also explains how the Copenhagen Fashion Week event will
transition to become more sustainable, with Thorsmark stating that the plan
is to reduce its climate impact by 50 percent and rethink waste systems in
all aspects of event production, including banning plastic coat-hangers
from 2021, with zero waste as the goal by 2022. In addition, organisers are
also going to explore what it called “digital solutions” to target a global
audience while reducing travel to Copenhagen.
To deliver on its vision it will be focusing on selected UN Sustainable
Development Goals: SDG 12 – responsible consumption and production; SDG 13
– climate action; and SDG 17 – partnerships for the goals. This has led to
the creation of three pillars guiding its efforts, “reduce, innovate and
accelerate”.
Thorsmark, added: “Collaborating is a vital part of this transition to a
more sustainable fashion week. This isn’t a plan against the fashion
industry, but for the industry to future proof brands.”
Image: courtesy of Copenhagen Fashion Week
