It's been almost a month since my return from a whirlwind trip to the 2016 Copenhagen Fashion Summit. The event, held under the patronage of Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, brought together speakers from leading global brands such as Patagonia, Nike, KERING, H&M, and Swarovski, along with widely-recognized industry insiders including Vanessa Friedman, Suzy Menkes, Imran Ahmed, Burak Camak, Mario Testino, Steven Kolb, and Julie Gilhart. The objective? Reimagine the state of our current systems -- and ignite a movement to restart fashion.
The panels, debates, and conversations highlighted recurring themes of empathy and innovation. We addressed the role of women in fashion and the link between philanthropy and CSR, as well as the way we talk about environmental issues, and how the language we use is hindering the change we need. The summit reinforced an idea I've seen time and time again throughout my decades of environmental work: if we want to create lasting change, we must all play our part. Demonstrating the multifaceted approach required when addressing issues of such scale, the speakers each leveraged their unique perspectives to propose solutions for the future of fashion. While the summit was filled with valuable insight, a few impactful ideas stood out as major takeaways. These are directives we can all act on to create a collective shift in consciousness.
Let's change the way we think
With all of the "green-washing" and convoluted messaging surrounding the term "sustainability" in modern marketing, the conversation among the speakers moved away from sustainability -- and towards empathy. If we start thinking about fashion not only in terms of the products, but also in terms of the people who make our clothes and the way our living, breathing planet is polluted by our processes, we will find solutions for a better system. We must think about sustainability not only in terms of CSR, eco-marketing, and meeting consumer demand, but also in terms of responsible innovation. What can we do differently to make the industry better and fairer for all involved?
An inspirational presentation from over 100 students in the Youth Fashion Summit made headway in this direction. These young thought leaders demanded 17 Sustainable Development Goals, all meant to make us more accountable for the social and environmental impact of fashion and to empower the workers and leaders of our future. They prompted us to consider the radical collaboration we need to enact, and outlined tangible measures we need to take to bring their goals to fruition. Our future is in the hands of our youth, and if we reimagine more empathetic and sustainable systems today, we enable them to create a better world for tomorrow.
Let's change the way we speak
Vanessa Friedman, Fashion Director and Chief Fashion Critic at the New York Times, raised a powerful point about the way the fashion industry talks about the environment. Fashion is intrinsically linked to pop culture, with the power to sell itself through storytelling and sex appeal. Those of us working to promote more environmental and ethical practices in the industry need to tap into the elements that make fashion so desirable -- and apply them to our mission. In other words, we need to make environmentalism sexy. We need a pop culture pitch with less explanation of the facts and more dramatization of the issues, making people pay attention. Rather than speaking dryly with statistics and data, we need to sell a story of sustainability, evoke emotion and promote identification and engagement -- just the same way we would when selling a brand.
Let's change the way we design
Speaking from the perspective of a massive, publically traded company, Nike's Chief Sustainability Officer and VP, Innovation Accelerator, Hannah Jones, raised the question "how can we double our business, while halving our impact?" Hannah regarded sustainability as an "innovation challenge," prompting us to think about the environmental cost of products during the initial conceptualization phase and to consider the technologies and materials the products are made with throughout the entire design process. Positioning innovative and sustainable design as a practice of forethought creates a business model centered on innovation which is conducive to the advancement of the respective company, as well as the development of a circular economy overall.
Let's change the way we manufacture
My friend Linda Greer from the National Resources Defense Council's Clean by Design Program spoke brilliantly about sustainability as environmental responsibility. It's not complicated, she said: for the fashion industry to be sustainable, we must adhere to laws, keep factories clean and efficient, and maintain fair labor practices. There should be an international standard for a code of conduct that creates accountability globally. Our current systems are too fragmented, with varying standards. To create and implement effective policies, we need leadership from the top. That means more pressure from NGO and Government leaders to enforce technical innovation, to create reward systems for businesses adhering to environmental and ethical protocols, and to develop a singular global standard for sustainability.
Let's change the way we buy
If we wanted to be completely sustainable, we wouldn't create or consume anything. Rick Ridgeway, Vice President of Public Engagement for Patagonia, noted that the company -- which is known for being on the forefront of sustainability -- is responsible for an astonishing amount of waste. Highlighting one of the brand's best sellers he stated, "To make it required 135 litres of water, enough to meet the daily needs (three glasses a day) of 45 people. Its journey from its origin as 60 percent recycled polyester to our Reno warehouse generated nearly 20 pounds of carbon dioxide, 24 times the weight of the finished product. This jacket left behind, on its way to Reno, two-thirds its weight in waste." Rick Ridgeway's solution to the environmental cost of Patagonia's products? Calling upon consumers to buy less, and on brands to create products that last.
While this year's Copenhagen Fashion Summit shed light on the breadth and depth of environmental issues within the fashion industry, the tone of the event remained optimistic. It is possible for us to create better systems: we have the ideas, we have technology, and we have the talent. Now, all we need is action -- on an individual and a collective scale. Each of us has the power to elevate our thinking, start conversations, and leverage our purchasing power to make environmentally-friendly and ethically-conscious choices. If we -- as businesses, influencers, policy makers, and consumers -- all play our respective parts, sustainability will not be a lofty ideal, but instead will become a reality within our daily lives.
During her panel, Anna Gedda, Head of Sustainability for H&M spoke about the learning curve in innovation and the inevitability of error when you're the first to do something differently. She stated, "It is not the strongest that survives, not the most intelligent. It is the one who is the most adaptable to change." Let's all learn from one another and adapt to change, for the survival of our shared our planet, and for the sake of our own well-being.
For a deeper look inside the summit, watch my panel "Fashioning Philanthropy - Giving Back to Create Change" with Julie Gilhart and Nadja Swarovski here.