BFC to Embrace Sustainability Standards from Copenhagen Fashion Week

The British Fashion Council, the organizing body behind London Fashion Week, and Copenhagen Fashion Week have come together to drive sustainable development in the Nordic and British fashion markets faster.


During the announcement, it was mentioned by the BFC that it will be using Copenhagen's Sustainability Requirements platform, which is a base document that will be amended with the minimum standards of environmental and social considerations to make them compulsory for admission.


As of this year, the sustainability initiative will begin with the inclusion of the BFC NewGen program to ensure that all brands under that initiative are meeting at least minimum criteria to participate in the program during London Fashion Week.


Prior to the full implementation of the sustainability requirements, a period of onboarding and pilots will first be conducted, with the targeted date of full effect being January 2026. In 2020, CPHFW first introduced the Sustainability Requirements guidelines as part of its Sustainability Action Plan targeting the reduction of the fashion industry's negative impact on the environment through the mechanism of innovative business models and industry change. The fashion organization did further modifications in 2024.


Brands should state how they plan to reduce their sustainability footprint, making sure that the designs are made of qualitative sustainable material and easily repairable, apart from using only 'smart material choices,' certified textiles, and/or preferred materials or deadstock, etc.


Other engagements also include the following partnerships with the Norwegian Fashion Hub, the Oslo Runway, and the Berlin Fashion Week, which are initiatives of the Fashion Council Germany engaged in the implementation of the Sustainability Requirements framework.


"This collaboration not only nurtures the much-needed alignment in the industry but also reveals the extreme and unique capacity that fashion weeks and the councils have to lead the industry in a positive direction. Working with the British Fashion Council, a known influential party in the fashion universe, we see a lot of possibilities in further enhancing the power of our collective commitment to sustainability.


"BFC insists that this partnership is part of its continuous mission at its Institute of Positive Fashion to sustain a more eco-friendly future. The IPF, which was established as a think tank, was specifically aimed at dealing with the fashion industry's environmental toll and has now turned into a guide for the industry towards sustainable practices, promoting climate action, as well as a platform for research, collaboration, and education for the fastest change.