The British Fashion Council has unveiled the Institute of Positive Fashion (IPF) website to mark the World Ocean Day. The website brings together global resources, information and campaigns to help businesses increase knowledge and adopt sustainable and people led best practices.
The council has also entered into a partnership With Parley For The Oceans. The IPF has been developed to help the British fashion industry lead in the goal to be more resilient, circular, equal and fair through global collaboration and local action. To tie in with this launch, and World Ocean Day, Cyrill Gutsch, CEO and founder of 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 these organisations to encourage positive change within the fashion industry.
The partnership will involve pro-active projects for students, education and mentoring, with Parley providing dedicated missions for the BFC and IPF network. The BFC and IPF 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.
Rush, CEO BFC and chair of IPF Steering Committee said: “Thank you to steering committee for time each week to support the launch of the IPF and this website that will empower business to have the knowledge they need to re-set. At times of crisis there is an opportunity to vision a new future.
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.”
Gutsch said: “Fashion is made from this innovative fabric of creativity, craftsmanship and collaboration. It is built on dreams. 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.”
The BFC recognises that this 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.
The website will explore circular business models, circular design principles, innovative production processes, consumption and waste reduction, encourage equal, diverse, empowered workforces from head office, to supply chain to shop floor, and focus on the positive impact the fashion industry has on communities and role skills and craftmanship can play in sustaining local livelihoods.
