The Council of Fashion Designers of America(CFDA), in partnership with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), has issued ‘Sustainability by Design: Rethinking New York Fashion Week,’ a report that looks at guidelines and recommendations for ways the industry can reduce both waste and the carbon footprint of fashion shows, events and activities.
About 75 percent of NYFW stakeholders surveyed in the study said the companies they work for have sustainability targets for the materials they use, waste reduction, partnering with others dedicated to sustainability and energy use. But almost 40 percent of those with such targets view them only as a consideration in their planning strategies, not as a guiding principle.
Companies that have made concerted efforts to increase their sustainability practices have reduced their environmental impact considerably. For example, Burberry, Dior, Gucci and Ralph Lauren, among others, use recycled wood in their sets, send out digital invitations, travel in electric vehicles and use partnerships to offset their remaining carbon emissions, the report said. Missoni and Saint Laurent use energy-efficient LED lighting powered by biofuel-burning generators at the show.
When asked what the greatest obstacles their organization faces in moving toward sustainability for NYFW, some 45 percent said it was more expensive to be sustainable, 27 percent were unclear what goals/targets to set and said they are difficult to measure, 27 percent lack the necessary partnerships, 14 percent said it was unclear what steps/actions to take, and 4 percent said other organizations’ leadership does not view sustainability as a priority.
The study showed that consumers and NYFW stakeholders value the same sustainability practices but to varying degrees. For NYFW stakeholders, they value, in order, use of recycled/waste/scrap materials, fair/ethical labor practices and biodegradable products/packing, participating in recycle/take back programs, up-to-date waste disposal/recycling technologies, commitment to health/safety practices for workers and organic/natural materials.
The survey looked at six impact areas — Content, Sample, Production, Venue, Public Relations and Transportation/logistics — and four sustainability dimensions — Energy, Materials, Waste and Partnership — to see ways to reduce NYFW’s environmental footprint.
