Progress report for
ACTAsia, Compassion in Fashion consumer education
Achievement at a glance
Successful publishing of China Fur Trade Industry Report update for 2020-2021 on website as Executive Summary and full report available to download.Compassion in Fashion online course has gained almost 1000 enrolments, almost double the previous year, with 38% from China.
A record number of Fur Free Retailers were recruited in 2022, with 25 brands joining the scheme in China.
During both Forum events in 2022, ACTAsia’s forums had almost 10,000 live streaming. 37 media outlets in China covered our Festival in articles including: Vogue, Elle, Grazia, Bazaar, WWD, Forbes and Jing Daily. A huge milestone was met in 2022 for ACTAsia, after 8 years of festivals two events were featured as part of Official Fashion Week agendas – in both Shanghai (fashion show with MTG) and Shenzhen (Forum II). This places ACTAsia within the industry and events that are centre to the change required. With over 400 people attending the fashion show and the forum messages reaching millions online, ACTAsia’s messages are well places to both brands and consumers.
ACTAsia has recently launched the Compassionate Choices Network which will focus on messaging to consumers in Asia, partnering with like-minded organisations with expertise in one of four founding pillars; plant-based diet, fur free sustainable fashion, cruelty free living and travel. The extension of ACTAsia’s work, connecting with partners to extend and accelerate the mission of reducing consumer demand for products and services that are harmful to animals, people and the environment.
During all the activities, ACTAsia has been able to keep fur farming and the use of fur within the mainstream media in China. Reaching consumers and brands and keeping the message of sustainable fashion at the forefront of their minds. Events keep fur under the microscope for consumers and brands, enabling media discussions to continue without losing focus.
Challenges faced in implementation
COVID-19 in 2022 has provided challenges the ACTAsia team have had to meet and overcome. Planning and partnerships have had to continually evolve due to unforeseen restrictions and quickly implemented lockdowns that have hampered plans set, followed by the latter part of the year where lifting of all restrictions then presented their own implications with all the ACTAsia team in China contracting the disease caused by COVID-19 for the first time.Restrictions and the space for NGO in China have been squeezed in 2022, reinforced by the October Government meetings. ACTAsia manages to hold space within the narrowing landscape and with support from partnerships.
Resilience, flexibility, adaptation and thinking outside of the box has enabled success and events to surpass expectations when faced with challenges, use of technology and innovative team who are mission focused and don’t give up have made the year a success despite the challenges.
Next Steps
Dawn KotuwageBeneficiaries
All the work we do at ACTAsia is centred around education, to benefit the public, the consumers who fuel demand for fur in fashion. The information gathered in the fur industry report is to help update the media with facts and realities of the fur trade so that the public understand and can choose compassionate choices within their lifestyle. Each project has its targeted beneficiary, the Compassion in Fashion online course is aimed at Fashion Institutes, fashion students in designs, communications or business. The consumer education including Festival, Fur Free Day and in 2021 Art Exhibition, the beneficiaries are consumers and the fashion industry through brands and designers.
Partnerships are fundamental to ACTAsia’s work, being a consultative member of the UN’s ECOSOC, a member of the Conscious Fashion and Lifestyle Network, ACTAsia sees the value of collaborations and points of view from governments, academics, professionals, the media, NGO and advocates for sustainable change. Beneficiaries are at every level of partnership and ACTAsia are set to work on these throughout the coming years.
The Fur Free Sustainable Fashion Festival has events the public can join and see their power as consumers, at the same time brands can develop to ensure they have sustainable products ready to supply. These two groups working in sync can unlock the future of power of demand and supply towards sustainability and a fur free future.
Beneficiaries of ACTAsia’s work are the same the organisation seek to serve; animals, people and the environment.
Actions
Partnerships impact beneficiaries at each step. ACTAsia being recognised and credited at two Official Fashion Weeks in China (Shanghai and Shenzhen) bring a wealth of impact, both to the Fashion Week’s own credibility and to industry as brands become recognised in turn as being forward thinking, fur free and on a journey towards sustainability and the impact of being recognised gives the organisation weight with the public, consumers who hold the power to choose and demand a fur free future.The Forum’s in 2022 have drawn together an audience of over 10million (up from 6million in 2021). With inspiration from the next generation materials field and designers in China who have joined the Fur Free Retailer scheme, the event was full of information and inspiration to move businesses and consumers to a fur free future.
Social media and media reach from these events contributes to ACTAsia’s influence in China and holding regular events in China, keeps the topic in the public eye, with expert speakers who are willing to discuss ideas and provide examples of fur free sustainable fashion inspires and reinforces the fur free message within China. The accessible forum provides up to date information for both industry and consumers, at one side ensuring the brands are supplying fur free and sustainable choices whilst on the other hand consumers understand sustainability and the impact their choices have on animals, people and the environment. The impact from the coverage is a growing movement of consumers who are aware and willing to choose fur free in the future alongside businesses who are ready to deliver a fur free product, working at both sides of the industry to empower and support greater sustainability and fur free future.