The British Fashion Council (BFC) has launched a website aimed at helping the industry lead in the goal to become more resilient, circular, equal, and fair through global collaboration and local action.
The Institute of Positive Fashion (IPF) website, developed in recognition of World Ocean Day (8 June), brings together global resources, information and campaigns to help businesses increase knowledge and embrace sustainable and people led best practices.
Three pillars of the website will focus on the environment, people, and community and craftsmanship. More specifically, this will involve exploring circular business models, circular design principles, innovative production processes, consumption, and waste reduction. The focus will also be on encouraging equal, diverse, empowered workforces from head office, to supply chain to shop floor, and focusing on the positive impact the fashion industry has on communities and role skills and craftmanship can play in sustaining local livelihoods.
To tie in with the launch, and World Ocean Day, Cyrill Gutsch, CEO and founder of environmental organisation Parley for the Oceans, will join the BFC advisory board and the IPF steering committee. To reciprocate the partnership, Caroline Rush, BFC CEO will join the advisory board of Parley for the Oceans, creating a long-term partnership between the organisations to encourage positive change within the fashion industry.
The result of the partnership will involve proactive projects for students, education, and mentoring, with Parley providing dedicated missions for the BFC and IPF network. The network will help raise awareness for Ocean Conservation and, in line with the IPF environment pillar’s initial focus on reducing waste, the organisations will support Parley on a campaign to phase out single-use plastics as part of its commitment to Parley AIR (Avoid. Intercept. Redesign), Parley’s strategy to end marine plastic pollution.
In February 2020, the BFC launched the IPF Global Initiatives Map at Downing Street, as the first step to bring global resources into one place and align to the IPF pillars of responsibility environment, people, craft and community as well as identify how they support the UN Sustainable Development Goals. At the time, the BFC set the ambition to help future proof businesses in the context of adapting to climate change. Now every business is called to also adapt to the Covid crisis and answer the call to “finally end prejudice, racism and injustices against human rights”.
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By GlobalDataThe IPF aims to become “the engine room for change”, bringing stakeholders together to support one another and address the challenges as a collective.
The BFC says it recognises the website is just a start and by sharing with the fashion community, government, academia and NGOs openly, it looks forward to identifying further resources that can develop the content.
“At times of crisis there is an opportunity to vision a new future,” says Caroline Rush, CEO BFC. “The UK’s creativity leads not just in design, but business thinking and there are no better businesses to now focus on what the industry should look like, who our workforces are, how they should be treated and the impact innovation can have on our national communities. We are proud to announce on World Oceans Day, but also to share a platform where we can pool global resources and unite in action. There is so much more our industry can do, in so many ways. It has a powerful voice that influences many and it should be used to confront issues from environment to tackling racism and prejudice.”
Cyrill Gutsch, founder and CEO, Parley for the Oceans, adds: “Fashion is made from this innovative fabric of creativity, craftsmanship and collaboration. Our partnership with the British Fashion Council will support us to make our AIR Strategy the new standard for a new dream, one where toxic ingredients and harmful production methods are relics of the past. Together we will drive the material revolution. Avoid. Intercept. Redesign.”
