The Australian Circular Fashion Conference

by Australasian Circular Textile Association

(NGO)

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Australia + New Zealand’s first, industry-only, fashion sustainability conference.

Project implemented: March 21st 2018

Project goal

Our primary aim is to ignite the fashion sectors environmental awareness and stewardship right now!

Goals By 2024:
• 350 businesses have circular and sustainable practice in all operations.
• 75% increase in responsible consumption + industry.
• 65% of the population understands definition of responsible fashion – significant consumer shift to responsible consumption + transparency.
• Identify the major + minor stakeholders involved in facilitating a complete closed loop textile process.
• Oversee national textile take-back scheme – leading to 90% recycled materials sent into different industry sectors.

delivering on

why is this project important?

The fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters in the world – second only to oil.
Australians are the world’s second largest consumers of textiles, buying on average 27 kilograms of new clothing and other textiles each year.
This desire to own a piece of fast fashion has meant that textiles have become a leading cause of waste in Australia accounting for up to 5% of domestic curbside waste and account for more than 75% of all micro-fibres found in our oceans.
Good corporate governance requires that companies consider both the production and after-life of their products.
There’s a clear opportunity to become an international leader in the sustainable fashion space and positively impact society through capacity building and education.

Key steps to make it happen

1Building Networks

Australia and New Zealand’s exclusive, industry-only, fashion conference on sustainability and responsible best practice.

2Hosting the Event

The ACFC is Australasia's only leading education event for fashion sustainability - Leading the national agenda.

impact to date

300
ACFC attendees in 2018
90.7%
support the need of an industry association to facilitate/organise collaboration
92%
people would engage with an industry association supporting change
72.2%
felt better equipped to be sustainable in fashion or a fashion vertical
95%
would attend ACFC again

The Australian Circular Fashion Conference has been specifically designed to enhance industry’s opportunity to gain powerful insights to important resources for growth, long-term strategic business development, leverage global competition, equality and responsible measures in building a stronger and more sustainable fashion industry within Australia and New Zealand.

The Conference introduces the industry to new tools and resources to create sustainable and economically viable businesses for the future. We look to successfully implement a circular-model strategy over the next 5-10 years through the entire lifecycle of textiles; from design, to production, manufacturing, distribution, customer use and of course end-of-life.

2019’s event will showcase world leading expertise in circular and sustainable practice for the retail apparel industry. The conference will attract over 500 business leaders from the largest multinational companies in the Australian + New Zealand industry.

The ACFC was born out of necessity to address and support the severe impacts fashion is having on the environment. Australia has the ability to support closed loop innovation right now, we have already begun conversations with numerous organisations on the benefits in recycling and using closed-loop fabrics.

About the Founder: Following the success of the first annual circular fashion conference in 2018, Founder Camille Reed has been featured in Vogue, Business of Fashion, Fashion United, WGSN, ABC, Australian Fashion Council, Future Business Council, MOCHNI, Fibre 2 Fashion, Eco Warrior Princess, The Fashion Advocate, Planet Ark, Australian Retailers Association, Inside Retail, Radio Adelaide, with none-other than the intent to spread awareness and make fashion sustainability mainstream.

Internationally Camille has been recognised as one of the seven most powerful women in the sustainable fashion industry, alongside Eva Kruse, and seen as the fashion revolutioniser of Australasia. Also as Co-Founder of the new national association Australasian Circular Textile Association (ACTA) Camille is looked to as a leader in circular textile innovation within the fashion space.
As an important contributor to industry Camille is one of the esteemed judges for the infamous Australian Retailers Associations ‘Retail Awards’ -(last event October 2018). More recently after soft-launching ACTA Camille represented Australia at the Global Climate KIC Launchpad Awards in Edinburgh.”

The Australian Circular Fashion Conference (ACFC) has been specifically designed to enhance industry’s opportunity to gain powerful insights to important resources for growth, long term strategic business development, leverage global competition, equality and responsible measures in building a stronger and more sustainable fashion industry within Australia and New Zealand.

The Conference introduces the industry to new tools and resources to create sustainable and economically viable businesses for the future. We look to successfully implement a circular-model strategy over the next 5-10 years through the entire life-cycle of textiles; from design, to production, manufacturing, distribution, customer use and of course end-of-life.

2019’s event will showcase world leading expertise in circular and sustainable practice for the retail apparel industry. The conference will attract over 500 business leaders from the largest multinational companies in the Australian and the New Zealand industry.

The ACFC was born out of necessity to address and support the severe impacts fashion is having on the environment. Australia has the ability to support closed loop innovation right now, we have already begun conversations with numerous organisations on the benefits in recycling and using closed-loop fabrics.

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