2024 Reflections and Seasonal Greetings
Dear GFA Community,
As we bid farewell to 2024, I want to take a moment to extend my warmest wishes for the year ahead and express heartfelt gratitude for your invaluable support throughout this transformative year.
This year was poignant for Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) as it marked 15 years since the inaugural Global Fashion Summit emerged as a beacon of inspiration in an industry grappling with its environmental and social impacts. What began as a platform to put sustainability on fashion’s agenda has evolved into a transformative force, driving sustainability initiatives and impact across the fashion landscape. On this occasion, we were honored to receive the patronage of Her Majesty The Queen of Denmark, whose recognition reinforces the importance of our mission and amplifies the impact of our efforts.
Building on this momentum, GFA proudly hosted the Global Fashion Summit: Copenhagen Edition and the Global Fashion Summit: Shanghai Gala, fostering alliances and action across continents. We also launched impactful collaborations such as the Circular Fashion Partnership: Indonesia.
Through the publication of key resources—including the Fashion CEO Agenda 2024, The GFA Monitor 2024 Update, Unpacking Pay Equity in Fashion: Italy, Reverse Logistics for Circular Fashion Systems, and the Upstream Circularity Playbook—we have provided the tools and inspiration necessary to catalyse change. Our educational Masterclasses have equipped thousands of stakeholders with the knowledge to drive innovation and sustainability in their spheres. All of these efforts support the shift towards our ultimate vision: a net positive industry by 2050.
As we reflect on a year marked by both challenges and opportunities, we recognise that the fashion industry faces mounting pressures: from climate threats and geopolitical tensions to growing scepticism about sustainability priorities. Now, more than ever industries must reconfigure their strategies to tackle immediate disruptions, while fostering long-term sustainability and resilience within the industry and the communities they serve. Operationalising environmental and social objectives and building the risk of inaction into the business case are pillars to futureproof organisations without sacrificing sustainability.
At GFA, we remain steadfast in our commitment to guiding the industry through these complexities. By working together, we can shape a net positive fashion industry —one that contributes more to people, communities, the natural world, and the global economy than it takes. I am deeply inspired by and grateful for all those who share this vision and work tirelessly to amplify our collective mission.
Your dedication and commitment have been the foundation of our vibrant GFA community and the driving force behind the meaningful progress we have achieved together. As we approach the holiday season, I wish you moments of joy, restoration, and hope. I look forward to continuing this vital work with you and accelerating impact in 2025.
Best wishes,
Federica Marchionni, CEO
The Global Circular Fashion Forum (GCFF) is an initiative by GFA to spur global and local action in textile manufacturing countries to accelerate and scale recycling of post-industrial textile waste –an effort to achieve a long-term, scalable, and just transition to a circular fashion industry.
In 2024, the GCFF has made strides across four key countries through National Circular Fashion Partnerships:
The Circular Fashion Partnership: Bangladesh continues to thrive, with 36 facilities segregating over 11,000 tonnes of textile waste, 5,000 of which have been digitally traced to recyclers. The project is supported by Partners including Bestseller, H&M, Teddy, OVS, Primark, and United Colors of Benetton. Furthermore, since 2023, GFA, BGMEA, and Reverse Resources have partnered with UNIDO and BESTSELLER to realise the BESTSELLER Switch to Upstream Circularity Pilot, a critical component of the SWITCH to Circular Economy Value Chains (SWITCH2CE) programme lead by UNIDO and co-funded by the European Union and the Government of Finland.
In October 2024, GFA in collaboration with Rantai Tekstil Lestari, Reverse Resources, Closed Loop Fashion, and Circle Economy, and funded by H&M Foundation, launched the Circular Fashion Partnership: Indonesia to develop circular systems tailored to local needs. The Jakarta launch event convened over 100 experts, reinforcing collective commitment to a circular framework supported by policy and industry action.
The Advancing Post-Industrial Textile Waste Recycling for a Circular Supply Chain pilot project in Cambodia has successfully concluded its assessment, training, and implementation phases. The collaborative initiative between GIZ and GFA involved 12 brands and their associated 21 factories, successfully diverting 3000 tonnes of waste from landfill. The pilot has now transitioned into the Circular Fashion Partnership: Cambodia, which was initially introduced during the Global Circular Fashion Forum: Annual Exchange of Upstream Circularity. Upcoming efforts include corrective action plans, webinars, and peer learning sessions.
Through the GIZ-led Waste No More project, we have brought together 151 manufacturers and waste facilities, piloted a Pre-Qualification Tool, and developed a ‘Vision and Roadmap for Circular Fashion in Vietnam’—a strategy for circularity by 2035. This initiative sets the stage for the launch of the Circular Fashion Partnership: Vietnam.
GFA closed the latest Fashion Industry Target Consultation (FITC) co-led with the United Environment Programme (UNEP). Insights captured through the consultation were presented in The GFA Monitor 2024.
At Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen, GFA released a special edition of the Fashion CEO Agenda — a strategic resource designed to steer fashion organisations towards achieving a net positive industry by 2050. In line with the 2024 theme of Global Fashion Summit, ‘Unlocking the Next Level’, this year’s Fashion CEO Agenda presented five pivotal opportunities for fashion executives and the industry at large to unlock transformative impact for people and planet:
Download the report.
In September, GFA and PwC Italy published a preliminary research report, Unpacking Pay Equity in Fashion: Italy, which explores the current perceptions and challenges regarding pay equity within one of Europe’s most influential fashion industries.
The publication, developed with support from Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI), provides a detailed assessment and a call to action – with practical guidance on how brands, manufacturers, and stakeholders can begin to address pay disparities and foster greater equality across the sector.
Download the report.
Later in September, GFA supported by its Insight Partner, Maersk, released a report, Reverse Logistics for Circular Fashion Systems. The publication expands on how fashion brands, retailers, value chain partners, and logistics providers can leverage reverse logistics to cultivate an effective and holistic circular fashion system.
Download the report.
GFA published the 2024 edition of The GFA Monitor — a resource designed to guide industry leaders towards creating a net positive fashion industry. Launched ahead of COP29, this year’s publication serves as a streamlined update, highlighting both significant advancements and ongoing challenges in the industry.
Download the report.
In December, GFA with support from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the H&M Foundation, launched the Upstream Circularity Playbook, available in six languages. This comprehensive resource draws on extensive case studies across multiple countries to provide a globally accessible, step-by-step guide specifically tailored for garment manufacturing regions. Designed to help stakeholders scale circular business models by valorising post-industrial textile waste, the Playbook equips manufacturing hubs with tools needed to drive sustainable change.
Download the report.
This year has been pivotal politically, with global elections shaping priorities and the formation of a new European Commission and Parliament. In response, GFA has been at the forefront of navigating these changes by facilitating five impactful Policy Masterclasses and events.
Two online Unpacking Policy Masterclass sessions—‘Five Years of Textiles on Top of the EU Agenda’ and ‘Election Reflection: The Impact of 2024 European Elections on the Textiles Industry’—provided industry stakeholders with insights into the evolving legislative landscape.
At Global Fashion Summit: Copenhagen Edition 2024, a pre-event Policy Masterclass explored the global geopolitical context, delving into how elections and legislative developments impact the fashion industry. On the Summit stage, two dedicated policy sessions, ‘Fragmented Futures: Fashion’s Policy Agenda’ and ‘Unpacking Policy: Eco Design Principles,’ drew attention to critical industry challenges and opportunities. Additionally, closed door policy roundtables fostered in depth dialogue among key decision makers.
On 5 December 2024, GFA and the Embassy of Ireland in Denmark hosted an impactful panel discussion, ‘The Sustainable Textiles Landscape in the 2024-2029 EU Mandate’, at the Irish Embassy in Copenhagen. The event brought together policymakers, industry leaders, and experts to navigate the evolving regulatory landscape for textiles within the European Union.
Throughout the year, GFA continued to update and share the GFA Policy Matrices, which are tools detailing the main regulatory initiatives relating to the five priorities of the Fashion CEO Agenda across the EU and Americas.
The GFA Academy, aims to provide information, guidance, and inspiration to the fashion industry and its consumers. Building on GFA’s foundation of sustainability knowledge we aim to bring our insights to a wider audience. This year:
GFA, supported by Fashion Values, revealed the eight members of the second edition of the Next Gen Assembly, who together contributed to Global Fashion Summit, a Masterclass, and made invaluable contributions to GFA throughout the year under the theme ‘How can fashion value economies of wellbeing?’
GFA Academy hosted four educational Masterclasses:
GFA introduced the new Trailblazer Programme in collaboration with PDS Ventures which seeks to support early-stage innovators accelerating the transformation of the fashion and textile industry with planet-positive solutions. Revealed at Global Fashion Summit, the winning company for 2024, Bloom Labs, received a significant equity investment along with commercial and operational support to help bring their innovation to scale.
Global Fashion Summit: Copenhagen Edition convened over 1000 attendees for engaging dialogue under the theme ‘Unlocking the Next Level’.
Attendees heard from over 110 esteemed speakers including Her Majesty The Queen of Denmark and representatives from the Kering, Patagonia, Ralph Lauren Corporation, Ministry of Environment of Chile, Maersk, Conservation International, GANNI, Shahi Exports Pvt. Ltd, and many more.
Participants at the Copenhagen Edition, had the opportunity to meet with 31 in-person solution providers from GFA’s Innovation Forum. Over 400 business connections between fashion companies and sustainable solution providers were facilitated.
Read more about the Copenhagen Edition here
Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Summit in 2024. We invite you to join us for Global Fashion Summit: Copenhagen Edition 2025 on 4-5 June. Secure your ticket here.
Global Fashion Summit: Shanghai Gala, presented in collaboration with Chinamind NEXT, brought together local and international stakeholders for compelling discussions and a gala dinner at the St. Regis Shanghai Jingan.
Centered on the theme ‘Unlocking the Next Level’, the Gala showcased pathways to advance sustainability in fashion through innovation, partnerships, and evidence-based strategies. The event also set the stage for GFA’s participation in the China International Import Expo (CIIE), highlighting the role of circular business models, consumer engagement, and climate-driven profitability as key priorities for the industry in China and beyond.
Read more about the Shanghai Gala, presented in collaboration with Chinamind NEXT, here.
GFA was proud to engage with its wide ecosystem at Climate Week NYC 2024, driving crucial conversations around sustainability in fashion through key roundtable meetings and events. Our presence focused on fostering actionable solutions to accelerate progress in key areas such as textile policy, regenerative agriculture, circular systems for footwear, design education, and more.
GFA hosted the GFA Assembly at Nike NYHQ on 25 September 2024, where fashion executives engaged in action-oriented roundtable discussions covering four key sustainability topics: ‘Stitching Compliance: EU’s Legislation Impact on US Textiles and Apparel Roundtable’, ‘Circular Systems for Footwear’, ‘Strengthening Corporate Accountability to Scale Regenerative Agriculture’, and ‘Indigenous Partnership Principles for Fashion, Apparel, and Textile Industry’.
Furthermore, GFA in collaboration with Climate Group, Ceres, and E.C.O. Equity, hosted a policy masterclass focusing on the impact of recent legislation, including the California Responsible Textile Recovery bill.
Finally, in collaboration with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and Parsons School of Design, GFA hosted a roundtable that addressed the critical role of design schools in shaping the next generation of responsible fashion leaders.
Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) is proud to introduce the recent additions to its esteemed Board of Directors. Shyla Raghav, Chief Climate Officer, TIME and Co-Founder, TIME CO2; Kathrin Belliveau, respected toy industry veteran and newly appointed Chief Policy Officer, Toy Association, and Robert van de Kerkhof, Sustainability Advisor & Founder of PEPPER-i2. The three executives join an expert Board which guides and supports GFA in its mission to accelerate the transition to a net-positive fashion industry.
Read more here.
Global Fashion Agenda grows Board of Directors with additional experts in Climate, Fibres and Consumer Goods
On 5 December 2024, Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) and the Embassy of Ireland in Denmark hosted an insightful event, The Sustainable Textiles Landscape in the 2024-2029 EU Mandate, at the Irish Embassy in Copenhagen.
After months of deliberation and political maneuvering, the European Parliament has given its approval to Ursula von der Leyen’s team for her second term as President of the European Commission.
