Afw’s sustainability standards for designers and partners

AFW's Sustainability Standards are concrete and should not be interpreted. Designers must adhere to the sustainability standards to be part of AFW's Fashion Agora and fashion show. The standards are divided into social sustainability and environmental sustainability and designers must adhere to both. AFW collaborates with designers and businesses that are already sustainable and sets the direction for future sustainable fashion.

environmental sustainability standards

For designers:

Designers must meet one of the following criteria:

  1. Clothing is produced according to the just-in-time model, where overproduction does not occur.

  2. Clothing is produced with a minimum of 60% upcycled, deadstock, or recycled textiles or 80% certified sustainable materials (GOTS, Cradle to Cradle, EU Ecolabel).

The following standards must always be followed:

  • Excess production must not be burned to maintain brand value

  • Clothing must be produced with the intention of lasting at least 4 years

For partner retailers working with second-hand clothing:

For other retailers, the business model must be based on one of the five circular business models, which include:

  • Product as a service (rental of clothing with maintenance responsibility)

  • Sharing economy (providing a platform where clothing circulates rather than remaining unused in a closet)

  • Extended lifespan (repair service or similar)

  • Reuse

  • Take-back (buying back the clothing for repair or similar in exchange for a voucher that provides a discount on another product).

Social sustainability sTandards

For Designers:

Designers must meet one of the following criteria:

  1. Have a near-shore production where European standards apply to working conditions.

  2. Comply with the SA8000 standard (social performance in 8 areas demonstrating their commitment to fair treatment of workers in the supply chain of products).