Presented by Global Fashion Agenda, the latest edition of Global Fashion Summit took place on 7-8 June 2022 in the grand setting of the Royal Opera House in Copenhagen, Denmark. This international forum for sustainability in fashion has been running since 2009. Global Fashion Agenda saw the urgent need for our industry to take responsibility and sparked the discussion by creating what is now the leading sustainability event gathering fashion decision makers.
The event organizers round tables to discuss the environmental crisis, human rights, and the consequences of textile pollution. Representatives for brands like Bottega Veneta, Ralph Lauren, Mulberry, Ganni and ultra-fast fashion company SHEIN spoke about initiatives for the future.
This event has become an important date in the fashion calendar and aims to help the fashion industry make greater sides in sustainability.
According to the Global Fashion Summit, there are only eight years left to achieve the goals of sustainable development fighting inequality, environmental destruction, or over-consumption… It is therefore urgent to act now!
Important Key Themes From The Global Fashion Summit
The following measures were taken during the summit:
- SHEIN will donate several million to charity in Ghana, the world’s largest second-hand market. This has sparked a debate about whether fast fashion brands should pay for their environmental impact. Many at the summit considered it an extreme case of greenwashing.
- More stakeholders need to join the discussion for more diversity, especially manufacturers and other supply chain workers. “We need to work with the supply chain; their voices need to be heard, manufacturers’ voices need to be heard” Nikhil Hirdaramani, director of manufacturer the Hirdaramani Group, commented.
- The importance of legislation coming to accelerate change was addressed. Projects like the EU “Textiles Strategy” and a new “Fashion Act” were presented. These legislations would force brands to commit to Science-Based Targets and disclose their greenhouse gas emissions, energy, water, material and plastic usage and chemical management.
- Circular Fashion was a central theme as a viable solution to combat environmental impact. Ralph Lauren released its new circularity program called Live On, focused on resale, repair, and re-design of products.
- The question of how to translate all discussions into concrete action dominated the summit. Brands should take the initiative instead of waiting for the consumer to change habits.
- One of the key focal points of the event was how data can be used to promote traceability. Various initiatives were launched, including their GFA monitor, a new report to guide fashion brands towards a positive industry.
While the Global Fashion Summit will still take place annually in Copenhagen, the event will now also go to other countries across the word in a bid to spotlight different perspectives globally. The next edition of the summit will take place in south-eat Asia.
The Global Fashion Summit has become a key event on the fashion calendar, and we can’t wait to see how brands roll out these initiatives.
Know more about the fashion industry:
How Is The Fashion Industry Adapting To A Market That Is Moving Towards Sustainability?
