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OUR VISION

Creating a more connected, informed, and collaborative fashion system that drives the transition toward clean energy and a more circular, sustainable future.

OUR MISSION

Through research, convening, and partnerships, we connect industry, academia, and policymakers to support a responsible and positive transition across the fashion value chain at the intersection of fashion, energy, and climate.

about

The Fashion, Energy, and Climate Network is a faculty-led platform at Columbia Climate School and part of the School’s Earth Networks initiative, developed in collaboration with the Center on Global Energy Policy, to advance interdisciplinary work at the intersection of fashion, energy, and climate. Grounded in the idea of fashion as a connected system, the Network examines how materials, manufacturing, design, business practice, and policy interact across the fashion value chain. By addressing the fragmentation that often separates these conversations, it brings together industry leaders, faculty, researchers, students, and policymakers to support more integrated and practical approaches to transition.

Drawing on expertise from across Columbia and working in partnership with external organizations, the Network serves as a hub for collaboration, knowledge exchange, and public engagement. Through research, convenings, publications, and partnerships, it connects academic insight with industry practice and helps strengthen the broader ecosystem for fashion and climate work across higher education and beyond.

Our work

We approach fashion as an interconnected system across the value chain. Within that system, our work focuses on four core areas:

Energy and industrial systems

Industry, design, and innovation

Policy, standards, and value chain coordination

Education and Awareness

Our ecosysteM

We’re proud to have convened and collaborated with a diverse range of organisations, academic institutions, industry leaders, nonprofits, and policy experts through panel discussions, events, and partnerships, advancing dialogue and action at the intersection of fashion, energy, and climate.

latest

We are now accepting submissions for the Sustainable Fashion Show, taking place as part of the Inaugural Columbia Fashion, Energy, and Climate Summit during Climate Week on September 21, 2026, at Columbia University in New York City.

We’re looking for original designs that explore:

Upcycling & recycling
Low-impact or regenerative materials
Zero-waste design
Circular & modular fashion
Ethical and local production
Innovative approaches to sustainable design Or any other concept that advances sustainability through fashion

Selected designers will present their work live during the summit and receive recognition before an audience of industry leaders, researchers, faculty, students, and sustainability professionals.If you’re passionate about reimagining the future of fashion, we’d love to see your work.

Apply here

Co-hosted by Columbia’s Fashion, Energy, and Climate Network and Yale’s Center for Business and the Environment, the discussion brought together participants to map the current landscape of sustainable fashion initiatives across universities, highlighting emerging momentum, key gaps, and opportunities for collaboration. Click here for more details