What we do for our environment

The Budapest Fashion & Tech Summit was held in the first week of December with numerous interesting presentations and programmes, including two roundtable discussions organised in the framework of a sustainability side event on the 3^rd of December. The central topic of the event was provided by a questionnaire in which students and professionals of the industry had the opportunity to express why and to what extent they believe sustainability is important, what they do to protect their environment, and how they see their personal responsibilities. During the talk, experts provided answers to the most important questions of sustainability, using the survey’s results as a starting point.

The Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency (HFDA) organised its free digital conference, the Budapest Fashion & Tech Summit (BFTS), between the 1^st and the 2^nd of December with the aim of adding Budapest to the palette of sustainable fashion capitals and giving it a leading role in making the Central European region more sustainable.

In order to call attention to the accentuated importance of sustainability, the HFDA organised a sustainability roundtable discussion on the 3^rd of December as a side event of the BFTS conference. The focus of the discussion was a sustainability survey and its results. The questionnaire was created by the Agency and forwarded to universities and vocational schools and the participants of their mentoring programmes. The questionnaire gave a chance for those studying and working in the industry to share their opinions and shed light on new areas that are worth examining within the topic. Trainers, students, designers, and manufacturers all responded to the questions.

The responses show why and to what extent respondents consider sustainability important and what further steps they can take towards sustainability in their everyday lives. The questionnaire covers topics such as zero waste in the everydays, transportation, eating, clothing, or shopping habits. The experts included the responses in the roundtable discussion, bringing consciousness closer to the audience.

Based on the questionnaire results, the respondents find it more important than the average to decrease their waste production and thus their ecological footprint. Most of them already actively use products that substitute single-use plastic (washable textile bags, textile sacks, water bottles, multi-use food containers), and 90.2% of the participants collect waste selectively.

When it comes to fashion, they mostly take steps to preserve their clothes since a long life cycle of a piece of clothing or product is especially important for a circular economy. 52.8% of the respondents said, if they spot a hole in their clothes, they fix them to increase their lifespan, and 37.6% pay attention to washing their clothes at a low temperature. Besides, almost every third respondent, 28.8%, prefers the selection of second-hand and vintage shops.

Eating also has a significant ecological footstep; thus, trying to become sustainable and waste-free starts on our plate. An evident tendency is that the majority of respondents aim to minimise food waste. 71.2% do not consume 5% of the food they buy. 55% of the participants pay attention to purchasing domestic products, and for 31%, the product’s package must be environmentally friendly or recycled.

Almost half of the respondents apply other environmentally friendly solutions in addition to the ones mentioned in the questionnaire. The free text responses mention sustainable solutions such as growing your own fruits and vegetables, composting, using scooters, walking, using electric vehicles, recycling, solar cells or energy-saving bulbs, soapnuts, eco and eco cycle cleaning products and using the dishwasher.

48.1% of respondents follow environmentally friendly programmes and initiatives, but they are not active, and 3.8% participate actively in such programmes. 51.9% of the participants believe education has a positive role in protecting the environment, while others think the curriculum should focus more on environmental protection and sustainability.

Among the most important results of the questionnaire is that 48.1% of the respondents felt partly responsible for the environment and climate change, while 44.2% felt strongly personally responsible. The concepts that respondents associate with sustainable development are also telling: 81.1% mentioned waste management and recycling, 54.7% climate change, and 52.8% air pollution.

The BFTS organised for the fourth time approached and presented the fashion industry’s future from the aspects of sustainability, knowledge sharing, cultural heritage, e-commerce and altered consumer habits through its free programmes. The roundtable discussions were realised as a side event of the conference with the aim of calling attention to the importance of environmental protection and sustainability. The two talks were hosted by the Museum of Applied Arts, where the speakers could participate in an exciting guided tour as a closing event.