Ethical Sourcing Summit
September 13, 2025 - September 13, 2025
The International summit for sustainable sourcing in the fashion sector
Draft Outline January 09
Target Audience
Fashion professionals: Designers, buyers, technical and production managers, suppliers, distributors, retailers, staff and directors, CEO’s
Why a Sourcing Summit?
· Barriers to a sustainable sourcing remain a challenge for fashion businesses of every size
· As more initiatives and sustainable sourcing options emerge, there is an important opportunity to increase awareness of these and build mutually beneficial links among participants
Goals:
· To launch a focused “must attend” event which will take place on an annual basis
· To create an event of critical importance and interest to the entire industry, from suppliers to manufacturers to retailers and designers, regardless of how engaged they are already with sustainable sourcing.
· Content which unites social, environmental and commercial business practices.
· To share practise, develop links across the sector, showcase and provide detailed information on best practice, how to address challenges and the latest developments in the sector.
· Participants get targeted information from industry practitioners, followed by an opportunity to build this into their own practices.
· Suppliers, manufacturers, support organisations, and initiatives have an opportunity to exhibit, network and make contact with retailers and brands.
Feedback taken into account from previous events and other initiatives:
· Participants want to hear from practitioners, about how they can implement these ideas in their own work – they want to go away with something tangible
· Participants want more focus and more detail – many have heard the basics already. They want more information, best practice examples, resources and toolkits that are relevant to their own specific roles in the industry – as the options are very different for a buyer, a designer, as CSR person, or a representative of manufacture/responsible for the production of fashion collections.
· Participants don’t want to hear sales pitches – they want to hear non – biased, transparent feedback on what works and how, and what does not and why.
· Some participants are familiar with a number of the initiatives that exist to support them – it is useful to have access to these. However in order to put these into context, they want to hear from businesses which have engaged with these initiatives, what has worked for them and why.
· Participants want more structured time to network and build links at the event, especially with businesses or organisations with whom partnerships would be mutually beneficial (e.g. larger established brands and innovative smaller designers, manufacturers seeking to increase their sustainability profile and brands with a sustainability focus etc)
Components: Draft Proposals
Exhibition
An opportunity for manufacturers, suppliers and distributors to showcase their work and meet clients.
Seminars
· By practitioners
· Cross sectoral (from the perspective of buyers, designers, and CSR professionals in fashion companies, both small and large)
· More than the initiatives and systems themselves – hearing from industry representatives who have implemented them, the details of what has been achieved and how, challenges faced and overcome.
Surgeries
· Led by practitioners accompanied by representatives from support bodies and initiatives
· Practical and focused on the specific needs of participants
· Participants have the opportunity to apply what is learnt in the context of their own business, and to go away with something tangible that they can build upon
· Opportunity to divide into smaller groups and meet and work with an expert
Ethical Fashion Summit: Potentially Following the Sourcing Summit – To Form a 2 Event
The International forum for change in the fashion sector
Goals (Draft)
1. Collaboration – government, business, academia, consumers
2. The development of an industry metric
3. Panels for change – focusing on key areas for change – making recommendations to government and regulatory bodies
Potential to build upon what was achieved at the Fashioning the Future Summit at London College of Fashion in 2008.
Components of the Fashion + Project
· Buying Practices: The ways in which fashion professionals can influence development and reduce environmental impact through their purchasing practices
· Suppliers: The global nature of the industry, fashion supply chains and opportunities for adding value for communities and reducing environmental impact trhough supply chian choices
· People: Empowering the people behind fashion-creating sustainable Livelihoods
· Systems: Standards, Certification, Codes of Conduct, and auditing, in relation to fashion & textiles.
Fashion professionals: Designers, buyers, technical and production managers, suppliers, distributors, retailers, staff and directors, CEO’s
Why a Sourcing Summit?
· Barriers to a sustainable sourcing remain a challenge for fashion businesses of every size
· As more initiatives and sustainable sourcing options emerge, there is an important opportunity to increase awareness of these and build mutually beneficial links among participants
Goals:
· To launch a focused “must attend” event which will take place on an annual basis
· To create an event of critical importance and interest to the entire industry, from suppliers to manufacturers to retailers and designers, regardless of how engaged they are already with sustainable sourcing.
· Content which unites social, environmental and commercial business practices.
· To share practise, develop links across the sector, showcase and provide detailed information on best practice, how to address challenges and the latest developments in the sector.
· Participants get targeted information from industry practitioners, followed by an opportunity to build this into their own practices.
· Suppliers, manufacturers, support organisations, and initiatives have an opportunity to exhibit, network and make contact with retailers and brands.
Feedback taken into account from previous events and other initiatives:
· Participants want to hear from practitioners, about how they can implement these ideas in their own work – they want to go away with something tangible
· Participants want more focus and more detail – many have heard the basics already. They want more information, best practice examples, resources and toolkits that are relevant to their own specific roles in the industry – as the options are very different for a buyer, a designer, as CSR person, or a representative of manufacture/responsible for the production of fashion collections.
· Participants don’t want to hear sales pitches – they want to hear non – biased, transparent feedback on what works and how, and what does not and why.
· Some participants are familiar with a number of the initiatives that exist to support them – it is useful to have access to these. However in order to put these into context, they want to hear from businesses which have engaged with these initiatives, what has worked for them and why.
· Participants want more structured time to network and build links at the event, especially with businesses or organisations with whom partnerships would be mutually beneficial (e.g. larger established brands and innovative smaller designers, manufacturers seeking to increase their sustainability profile and brands with a sustainability focus etc)
Components: Draft Proposals
Exhibition
An opportunity for manufacturers, suppliers and distributors to showcase their work and meet clients.
Seminars
· By practitioners
· Cross sectoral (from the perspective of buyers, designers, and CSR professionals in fashion companies, both small and large)
· More than the initiatives and systems themselves – hearing from industry representatives who have implemented them, the details of what has been achieved and how, challenges faced and overcome.
Surgeries
· Led by practitioners accompanied by representatives from support bodies and initiatives
· Practical and focused on the specific needs of participants
· Participants have the opportunity to apply what is learnt in the context of their own business, and to go away with something tangible that they can build upon
· Opportunity to divide into smaller groups and meet and work with an expert
Ethical Fashion Summit: Potentially Following the Sourcing Summit – To Form a 2 Event
The International forum for change in the fashion sector
Goals (Draft)
1. Collaboration – government, business, academia, consumers
2. The development of an industry metric
3. Panels for change – focusing on key areas for change – making recommendations to government and regulatory bodies
Potential to build upon what was achieved at the Fashioning the Future Summit at London College of Fashion in 2008.
Components of the Fashion + Project
· Buying Practices: The ways in which fashion professionals can influence development and reduce environmental impact through their purchasing practices
· Suppliers: The global nature of the industry, fashion supply chains and opportunities for adding value for communities and reducing environmental impact trhough supply chian choices
· People: Empowering the people behind fashion-creating sustainable Livelihoods
· Systems: Standards, Certification, Codes of Conduct, and auditing, in relation to fashion & textiles.
