The British Fashion Council (BFC) and Copenhagen Fashion Week (CPHFW) on Monday jointly announced a new collaboration to align their efforts to “accelerate the industry’s sustainability actions across the Nordic and British fashion markets”.

It means the strict Sustainability Requirements framework developed by CPHFW and implemented from 2020 will now be rolled out by the BFC in their updated form.

The programme starts with the BFC Newgen initiative this year. That’s a key move given that Newgen is a world-leading designer programme and supports the big design talent of tomorrow.

The Minimum Standards will be “embedded into the existing mandatory criteria for admission” to Newgen. Full implementation will come into effect by January next year after an onboarding and piloting period.

Outgoing BFC CEO Caroline Rush said the move “builds on our existing Minimum Standards and reaffirms our commitment to driving positive change across the global fashion industry. This partnership is a significant step in ensuring that sustainability becomes integral to the future of fashion”.

And CPHFW chief Cecilie Thorsmark added: “This partnership not only fosters much-needed industry alignment but also underscores the unique potential of fashion weeks and councils to drive positive change within the industry. With the British Fashion Council, as an influential player in the global fashion landscape, we see a lot of potential to further amplify the impact of our collective commitment to sustainability.”

CPHFW has been very influential in the Europe as an early adopter of sustainability rules for fashion weeks. Since it launched its framework, the Norwegian Fashion Hub, Oslo Runway and Berlin Fashion Week executed by Fashion Council Germany have also embarked on its implementation.