CFDA announces NYFW environmental impact study

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Mar 9, 2020

As sustainability continues to be a top issue within the fashion industry in 2020, American fashion's governing body, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, is launching a focused study on the environmental impact of New York Fashion Week with Boston Consulting Group (BCG). 

As part of the research project, the CFDA and BCG will produce an impact report assessing NYFW’s current carbon footprint, tracking factors like event production, logistics, transportation and public relations. The report will present actionable priorities and opportunities for change with a 'Playbook for Positive Change,' the CFDA said.

“It is imperative that the global fashion industry addresses climate change and the impact of fashion week on the environment,” said Steven Kolb, president and CEO of the CFDA. “Fashion shows are vital to the creative process of a designer. Given New York Fashion Week is global fashion’s largest ecosystem, the CFDA felt it was important to lead and supportively guide the fashion industry towards positive change.”

“It is imperative that the global fashion industry addresses climate change and the impact of fashion week on the environment,” added Sarah Willersdorf, a managing director and partner and global head of luxury at BCG.

“We are thrilled to partner with the CFDA to better understand the environmental impact of NYFW and develop a path forward. We look forward to helping the CFDA become an industry leader on this topic, delivering innovative, impactful guidelines to all stakeholders in the NYFW ecosystem on how to integrate sustainability practices into their strategies and activations.”

The project is the latest in CFDA’s education-focused sustainability efforts, following the release of the CFDA Guide to Sustainable Strategies and Sustainable Strategies Toolkit in 2019. 

The United Nations Office of Partnerships (UNOP) and Conscious Fashion Campaign, a sustainability-focused initiative launched in December of 2019, are also collaborating on the CFDA and BCG study.

The CFDA said that the NYFW Impact Report and Playbook for Positive Change will be released to the public this April.