Leading Voices From the Fashion Industry Gather in Copenhagen to Promote Sustainability

The world's leading business forum on sustainable fashion, Copenhagen Fashion Summit, boasts a packed nine-hour programme with more than 50 high level speakers who will engage in panel discussions and conversations to address the most critical issues that our industry and planet face. The Summit kicks off at 9am with the official welcome speech by Denmark's Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, Brian Mikkelsen, and ends with closing remarks by Summit patron Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, followed by Eva Kruse, CEO of Global Fashion Agenda and organiser of the Summit.

     (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/510008/Speakers_at_Copenhagen_Fashion_Summit_2016.jpg )

     (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/510006/Eva_Kruse_of_Global_Fashion_Agenda.jpg )

     (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/510007/Guests_at_Copenhagen_Fashion_Summit_2016.jpg )

Throughout the day, high profile industry people like Tiffany & Co. CEO Michael Kowalski, The New York Times chief fashion critic Vanessa Friedman, circular economy authority Dame Ellen MacArthur, founder of Eco Age Ltd. Livia Firth, fashion designer Prabal Gurung, CEO of Hugo Boss Mark Langer and sustainability leader William McDonough will go on stage. The hosts are Amber Valletta, model and entrepreneur, and Tyler Brûlé, editor-in-chief of Monocle.

Companies to sign a call to action  

Global Fashion Agenda will call on fashion brands and retailers to take action on increasing the volume of textiles collected, reused and recycled by launching the Call to Action for a Circular Fashion System, which Summit participants will be urged to sign.

Eva Kruse, CEO of Global Fashion Agenda, states:

"Today's linear economic model, which sends too many clothes to landfills and incinerators, is simply not sustainable. What's more, with fashion production expected to increase by 63% by 2030, we have no choice but to accelerate a circular system that restores and regenerates materials. Luckily, studies show that when companies implement circular principles, new opportunities arise, such as innovative design and increased customer engagement. So there's no reason not to sign the Call to Action."

World-leading brands like Kering, Asos, Target and H&M have already signed the Call to Action. See updated list of signatories.

First-ever UN resolution on fashion 

Students from around the world who met at last year's Summit to explore how the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent opportunities for fashion companies gathered again yesterday on 9 May 2017 in Copenhagen to transform their SDG demands into a proposed UN resolution. The first-ever concerning fashion, the drafted UN resolution is being negotiated today, 10 May, with industry leaders such as Swarovski, and NGOs such as Greenpeace. Tomorrow, the students will take the stage at Copenhagen Fashion Summit to present the drafted resolution, and later this year it will be presented to the UN in New York.

Pulse of the Fashion Industry made public 

Earlier this week, ahead of the Summit, Global Fashion Agenda, in collaboration with the Boston Consulting Group, published a groundbreaking in-depth assessment of the fashion industry's environmental and social performance - the first edition of the Pulse of the Fashion Industry report. The 139-page report shows that the sustainability "pulse" of the industry is weak - scoring only 32 out of 100 points - and that especially small and medium-sized firms, which represent about half of the market, have done little to improve their impact. These and many more of the report's findings are already available for download and will be presented on stage tomorrow.

More information 

copenhagenfashionsummit.com

Practical information
Copenhagen Fashion Summit
Date: 11 May 2017
Location: Copenhagen Concert Hall

About Copenhagen Fashion Summit 

Copenhagen Fashion Summit is the flagship event of the recently established non-profit, year-round initiative Global Fashion Agenda, whose mission is to mobilise the industry to transform the way we produce and consume fashion. To help set a common global agenda for the industry and spearhead this transition, Global Fashion Agenda has partnered with Kering, H&M, Target, Sustainable Apparel Coalition and Li & Fung as founding members. For more information please visit copenhagenfashionsummit.com.