After Copenhagen and Berlin led the way, London Fashion Week will be the first of the four major fashion weeks to introduce sustainability requirements.
The Sustainability Requirements developed in Copenhagen now apply in London, as the industry association British Fashion Council (BFC) announced on Monday. The partnership with Copenhagen Fashion Week (CPHFW) and the associated commitment to the minimum standards of sustainability criteria for London Fashion Week shows is intended to combine efforts to accelerate sustainable action in the fashion industry in the Nordic and UK markets.
Copenhagen’s minimum standards, first announced in 2019 and fully implemented from the autumn/winter 2023 season, include, among other things, a formalized ESG (environmental, social, governance) strategy and a diversity and inclusion policy in recruitment. These measures in London follow the ban on exotic leathers such as crocodile and snake skin, which comes into force in November 2024, after Copenhagen already introduced such a ban in March 2024.
However, the BFC’s new minimum requirements will not come into effect immediately. Instead, they will initially be tested in 2025 with brands that are part of the Newgen funding program, before full implementation is planned for all participating brands from January 2026.
“We are pleased to coordinate our work with BFC Newgen as part of Copenhagen Fashion Week Sustainability Requirements. This builds on our existing minimum standards and reinforces our commitment to driving positive change in the global fashion industry,” said Caroline Rush, Chief Executive of the British Fashion Council. “This partnership is a significant step towards enshrining sustainability as an integral part of the future of fashion. Together we are creating a framework that gives emerging designer brands the opportunity to lead and make a tangible contribution to a more sustainable and responsible industry.”