London Fashion Week Is Rolling Out New Sustainability Requirements

19 hours ago

The British Fashion Council takes a leaf out of CPHFW's book

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With Fashion Month just around the corner, the style capitals of the world are getting ready for another busy round of shows and previews for the upcoming season. But despite the busyness, it seems that the British Fashion Council still has one more surprise up its sleeve: today, it announced that it will be rolling out new sustainability requirements for its designers, in collaboration with Copenhagen Fashion Week. Here’s everything we know so far.

British Fashion Council Unveils New Sustainability Requirements For London Fashion Week

A new collaboration is in the works over the British Fashion Council (BFC), which has just announced its partnership with Copenhagen Fashion Week (CPHFW) in a move to help accelerate sustainability efforts across the Nordic and British fashion industries.

The proposed plans will focus on London Fashion Week, with the introduction of a Sustainability Requirements framework developed by CPHFW (which already has its own in place).

‘We are delighted to join forces with the British Fashion Council to further expand the reach of our Sustainability Requirements,’ said Cecilie Thorsmark, CEO of Copenhagen Fashion Week. ‘This partnership not only fosters much-needed industry alignment but also underscores the unique potential of fashion weeks and councils to drive positive change within the industry. With the British Fashion Council, as an influential player in the global fashion landscape, we see a lot of potential to further amplify the impact of our collective commitment to sustainability.’

The partnership is also part of the BFC’s ongoing work with the Institute of Positive Fashion, which is described as ‘a think tank to address the fashion industry’s environmental impact and aims to guide the industry toward sustainable practices, promoting climate action while serving as a platform for research, collaboration and education to accelerate positive change.’

ERDEM SS25

What Will The Requirements Entail?

While the full extent of the new London Fashion Week Sustainability Requirements is yet to be revealed, the BFC has announced that it will kick off this year – with a focus on the BFC NEWGEN initiative.

Created in 1993 by the British Fashion Council, NEWGEN is an ongoing segment of London Fashion Week that gives a platform to emerging fashion talent. Applications open today for designer fashion businesses that have been actively trading for less than three years.

The new Sustainability Requirements proposed will embed a set of Minimum Standards into the existing mandatory criteria for admission. Following an onboarding and piloting period, the full implementation will come into effect fully by January 2026.

If the Sustainability Requirements will follow the lead of CPHFW, we can expect these Minimum Standards to look something like*:

Having a formally approved sustainability strategy in place, covering both environmental and social considerations
Having guidelines and structures in place to provide equal opportunities and hiring processes for greater diversity and inclusion
Avoiding the destruction of unsold clothes and samples from previous collections; having a process in place for leftovers
Having a criteria in place to ensure the quality and longevity of products; taking the steps needed to inform shoppers about the value of longevity
Implementing circular design principles to products and collections, ensuring repairability, recyclability, upgradability and reusability as well as the inclusion of recycled content
A specific percentage of a collection being either certified, made of preferred materials or deadstock fabric
Collections free from virgin fur, wild animal skins and feathers (also referred to as exotics)
Having guidelines and processes in place to operate a safe, healthy and respectful working environment for employees
Easily accessible sustainability-focused education for both employees and shoppers
Avoiding single-use props and products at shows
Working to reduce emissions and the environmental footprint of packaging and orders

* Examples taken from the Copenhagen Fashion Week Sustainability Requirements page.

‘We are thrilled to align with the Copenhagen Fashion Week Sustainability Requirements across BFC NEWGEN, this builds on our existing Minimum Standards and reaffirms our commitment to driving positive change across the global fashion industry, said Caroline Rush, Chief Executive of the British Fashion Council. ‘This partnership is a significant step in ensuring that sustainability becomes integral to the future of fashion. Together, we are creating a framework that empowers emerging designer fashion businesses to lead the way and contribute tangibly to a more sustainable and responsible industry.’