Although there are currently no sustainability standards that designers are forced to adhere to anywhere in the world, some of the major cities are making an effort to educate designers on best practices. The latest of this comes from the Council of Fashion Designers of America, who this week have launched an initiative encouraging brands to take sustainability seriously.
The CFDA's report is 233 pages long and is split into four parts. This includes; a guide to sustainable strategies, a toolkit for creating sustainability blueprints, a materials index and a sustainability directory, which lists the expert organisations (including fabric libraries) who excel in sustainability and are encouraged to be used.
While of course these practices are currently not enforced on designers, the report will no doubt be a step in the right direction for brands who may not have a clear idea where to start when it comes to making their businesses more eco-friendly. The report stresses that change needs to happen now.
"Currently, the fashion industry is not sustainable," the report, which has been made public, says. "We are using up natural resources and exploiting people in ways that will deplete future generations of the resources they need, impacting the future profitability and business opportunities. In order for the industry to change we need to work together. This guide is available to [the] public as a critical educational resource. Through this project we seek to shift sustainable practices among members as well as across the entire industry."
The CFDA's sustainability report comes off the back of a diversity initiative launched last week, which aims to improve the inclusivity and diversity of the American fashion industry. The British Fashion Council have similar aims and initiatives, which they launched last year and you can read more about on their website.
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