{"id":58302,"date":"2024-06-17T12:40:08","date_gmt":"2024-06-17T10:40:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gs1.se\/?p=58302"},"modified":"2024-12-10T09:46:35","modified_gmt":"2024-12-10T08:46:35","slug":"insights-from-the-global-fashion-summit-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gs1.se\/en\/blog\/insights-from-the-global-fashion-summit-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Insights from the Global Fashion Summit 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Photo: Global Fashion Agenda<\/sub><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At the end of May, the Global Fashion Summit (GFS )<\/a> was organized for the 15th time. This year’s theme was ‘Unlocking the Next Level’, bringing together the fashion industry to explore ways towards a more sustainable and ethical future.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many aspects need to be taken into account to make the fashion industry more sustainable, but the importance of moving from promises to concrete actions was emphasized by most speakers. At the Global Fashion Summit, it was mentioned that the fashion industry’s sustainability performance has deteriorated despite years of efforts. The measures taken have simply not been sufficient. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What did they talk about? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many interesting presentations were held during the two days of the GFS, and below I summarize some of the topics the speakers raised. Since standards are the core business of GS1 Sweden, these summaries are described with a little extra focus on the role of standards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ecodesign Directive<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The upcoming EU regulations were discussed extensively. “Business as usual” no longer works; business models need to become more circular to achieve the Ecodesign Directive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the session “Unpacking Policy: Eco Design Principles<\/em>,” Ant\u00f3nio de Sousa Maia from the European Commission discussed the importance of collaboration among industry stakeholders, including brands, suppliers, and technology providers, to create an ecosystem that supports sustainable practices. He also talked about how standards and regulations can be used to steer the industry towards more sustainable practices and material choices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During GFS, there was also a discussion on how fashion designers and product developers can use new regulations as an opportunity to create more sustainable and innovative products. By understanding and applying regulations for sustainable products, the industry can set new standards for design and production. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Ant\u00f3nio de Sousa Maia, European Commission. Photo: Global Fashion Agenda<\/sub><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Cooperation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The importance of cooperation was highlighted several times. One of them was Paul Polman, co-author of the book Net Positive. He called for a shift from individual actions to collective efforts, emphasizing that the fashion industry’s success in becoming sustainable will depend on its ability to collaborate and implement systematic changes. He encouraged fashion designers to integrate sustainability into their business models, with a focus on circularity, transparency, and fair value chains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the subject of value chains, Paul urged the audience to start looking at their own value chains. He argued that many have links in their value chains that have been unchecked for too long. Everyone needs to start taking full responsibility for the impact of their product and the value chain is extremely important to control. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the messages Paul concluded his presentation “Lead or be led” with were: <\/p>\n\n\n\n