The campaign which debuted at London's largest festival of fashion, Pure London and then at Spring Fair 2019 will promote the UN's Sustainable Development Goal to encourage more responsible consumption and production. Across four days at the show, visitors will be encouraged to commit themselves to small, individual changes which combined will create a more sustainable future for all.
Visitors to the show will be encouraged to pledge to make one small sustainable change to their lives at the Power of One Wall in the NEC Atrium. Those visitors who do so will receive a free reusable water bottle, courtesy of Summit International. All onsite Autumn Fair books will be 100 per cent recyclable, with the show organisers also encouraging people to bring their own water bottles to prevent plastic cups being used on the show floor.
As well as encouraging sustainable changes, the show will be hosting compelling sessions and seminars around wider sustainability issues at the Inspiring Retail Stage in Hall 6 and the Sourcing Theatre in Hall 10 throughout the show. Headlining the show's programme of sustainability-focused talks will be Gemma Lacey, Director of Sustainability & Communications at Southern Co-op, who'll be explaining how visitors can inject sustainability into their daily business plans. In addition, James George, who has a Business Engagement role at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation will host a panel discussion on ethical sourcing and creating a green supply chain. Also on hand at the show will be a number of suppliers who champion the sustainability agenda and demonstrate the wider industry's commitment to ethical sourcing.
Visitors can look forward to speaking to soapmakers Kushboo, whose products are 100 per cent vegan, entirely natural and are never tested on animals.
Also showcasing will be the likes of gift brand Anon Design, who ensure that all their t-shirts are printed in the UK with cotton from suppliers who only use climate neutral raw materials, and Bag it Don't Bin it, who make branded canvas bags for over 30,000 clients around the world.
Jessica Dawnay Event Director for Autumn Fair said: There's clearly real impetus from within the industry to do something about the environmental issues we face. Indeed, in a recent survey we launched, UK retailers told us that they hoped to increase the percentage of their products that are sustainable by 33 per cent on average by the end of next year. Many however simply don't know how or where to start when it comes to their sustainability journey. Autumn Fair 2019 will put sustainability at the heart of its agenda, ensuring that retailers looking for direction on ethical sourcing, environmentally-friendly packaging, waste disposal and much more, get the help and advice they need to kick-start industry-wide change.
Autumn Fair runs 1st to 4th September 2019 at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre.
