Initiatives for a Carbon Conscious Event
A Benchmark for Carbon-Conscious Fashion Weeks
Lakmē Fashion Week x FDCI is built on the belief that fashion weeks shape how the industry works, not just how it looks. Sustainability is an integral part of the platform, influencing how collaborations & partnerships create impact, how mindful spaces come together, and how participation is defined. Grounded in structure and transparency, designers, partners, and stakeholders operate within defined sustainability standards, supported by tools that enable reflection, measurement, and continuous improvement. In doing so, the platform reflects a simple truth: creative leadership must also be climate-responsible.
In an effort to lead by example, here are some of the pillars of sustainability.
Energy & Emissions
Lakmē Fashion Week x FDCI has been committed to reducing its environmental impact by actively transitioning to renewable energy at venues like the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai over the last few years. Through an open-access green power procurement system, we reduced over 80% of emissions generated through event electricity use. By forecasting energy demand well in advance and securing certified green power units accordingly, clean energy becomes not an afterthought, but a planned and integral component of how the event is designed and delivered.
Behavioural Change & Participation
THE HEART ICON Evolving from a single Sustainable Fashion Day to a week-long conversation, designers now complete a self-assessment that encompasses material use, design and production processes, supply chain transparency and end-of-life considerations among other criteria. Those qualifying a baseline are identified with the Sustainability Heart icon across the official schedule, making conscious fashion visible, credible, and collective across the event. This self-assessment moves beyond recognition, acting as a framework to encourage consistent incremental growth in sustainability practices.
REFILL BY DESIGN To cut down on single-use plastic, Lakmē Fashion Week x FDCI launched ‘Refill by Design’, an initiative in collaboration with leading Indian designers like AFEW Rahul Mishra, pero, Shantanu and Nikhil, Abraham & Thakore, 11.11/eleven.eleven to name a few. Each season, over 800 reusable designer-crafted bottles are distributed to those working backstage; models, crew, media, and teams alike. More than just a keepsake, the bottle is a daily reminder that sustainability begins with simple, everyday choices. Now the new-normal at fashion week, the bottles have garnered an event-wide behavioral change. This small change over the last few seasons makes a big difference as almost 1,30,000 single-use plastic bottles have been avoided, saving over 30,000 liters of water.
EarthTee Each World Environment Day in collaboration with R|Elan™, we unveil a limited-edition EarthTee designed by a renowned designer & made from post-consumer PET bottles collected at the event. Shared with key stakeholders, influencers, celebrities, and media, the EarthTee becomes an industry collectible sparking meaningful conversations around circularity and conscious fashion.
Materials and Waste Circularity
Lakmē Fashion Week x FDCI approaches waste management as a closed-loop system, focusing on reduction, recovery, and responsible reuse. From material choices to post-event processing, waste is treated not as an endpoint, but as a resource with the potential for second lives.
As part of this approach, ‘Invite Collection Boxes’ are placed across the venue to collect used show invites, encouraging guests to actively participate in the circular journey. Over the past few seasons, over 100Kgs of invitations made from recycled paper have been recovered, and repurposed into schoolbooks for marginalised children. What began as a simple invitation is thus transformed into a tool for learning, embedding social impact within the event’s waste management framework and reinforcing sustainability as a shared responsibility.
Our on-site waste segregation ensures wet waste is composted at the venue - Jio World Convention Centre itself and dry waste is tackled with the help of event-wise waste management partners.
Accountability and Reporting
Carbon Conscious Guidelines Lakmē Fashion Week x FDCI has instituted a set of bespoke sustainability guidelines for designers, production agencies, and talent partners, embedding responsibility into every layer of the event ecosystem. Spanning material selection for show setups, production processes, and on-ground execution. These guidelines form the foundation of our long-term ambition to evolve into a carbon-neutral fashion platform.
Carbon Footprint Report Lakmē Fashion Week x FDCI works with independent third-party agencies to measure the event’s carbon footprint across key areas including energy use, transportation, materials, water, waste, food and beverage, travel and temporary infrastructure. This annual assessment ensures transparent reporting and provides a clear baseline to understand what worked, what didn’t, and where meaningful improvements can be made year on year.
