CFDA and Boston Consulting Group to Launch Research Project Studying the Environmental Impact of NYFW
As fashion month wraps up, it’s time to reflect on the impact major events have on the planet and, with the United Nations saying we have less than 11 years to prevent irreversible damage from climate change, it’s hard to ignore the environmental impact of fashion week. From set waste to CO2 emissions created by travel, we all know fashion month is not precisely sustainable but just how big of a contributor is fashion month to the climate crisis? Well, a new NYFW-specific research project wants to find out.
Per WWD, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) will partner with the Boston Consulting Group to conduct a study focusing on the environmental impact of New York Fashion Week. The project will be in collaboration with The United Nations Office of Partnerships and Conscious Fashion.
The project will reportedly be launching this week and will produce an impact report assessing all aspects of NYFW’s impact on the environment, such as event production and transportation.
Direct action is needed to address the climate emergency and this report will be a crucial step for the fashion industry to take accountability for its role in the environmental crisis; especially since, at its current growth, the fashion industry is predicted to be responsible for a quarter of the earth’s climate budget by 2050, according to a 2017 report by Business of Fashion and McKinsey and Company.
The report could be key in identifying priorities and next steps for the industry, with the results expected to be compiled into a Playbook for Positive Change with phased steps that can be easily implemented. “It is imperative that the global fashion industry addresses climate change and the impact of fashion week on the environment,” Steven Kolb, president and chief executive officer of the CFDA, told WWD.
The CFDA and Boston Consulting Group will release the NYFW Impact Report and Playbook for Positive Change in April this year to tie in with Earth Month’s 50th anniversary. The findings will, no doubt, be a much-needed wakeup call for the industry.
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