If 2025 taught sustainable fashion anything, it’s that the industry is deeply sensitive to the whims of the world. Understanding the the global impact of society’s many shifting plates — from tariffs and trade deals, to political undercurrents and wars — is crucial to keeping sustainable fashion on a positive course. And what better way to take the pulse of these changes than by connecting with fellow changemakers at global events designed to propel sustainable progress?

Here, we pulled together the events sustainable fashion’s inner circle is showing up at in 2026.

World Economic Forum Annual Meeting

When: January 19 to 23

Where: Davos, Switzerland

At the end of January, world leaders from across politics, education, business and civil society will meet in Davos to discuss the most pressing issues of our time (while almost certainly prompting outrage about attendees’ private jet use). This year’s program focuses on “a spirit of dialog”, with five core questions guiding the conversation: how can we cooperate in a more contested world? How can we unlock new sources of growth? How can we better invest in people? How can we deploy innovation at scale and responsibly? And how can we build prosperity within planetary boundaries? The latter two will be especially interesting to fashion-adjacent attendees, for whom the careful balance between economic growth and natural resource depletion is hotly debated.

Textiles Recycling Expo USA

When: April 29 to 30

Where: Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

Textile-to-textile recycling has been a holy grail among sustainable fashion innovators for almost a decade, but it’s only in the past year that its commercial application has started to seem viable. Textiles Recycling Expo USA, launching in April, is the country’s “first dedicated showcase for the innovations tackling the growing challenge of textile waste”. It’s free to attend, and promises to feature a range of cutting-edge tech.

Cascale Forum

When: May 30 to April 1

Where: Colombo, Sri Lanka

Cascale (formerly the Sustainable Apparel Coalition) will host a three-day program in Sri Lanka, which hopes to meet manufacturers on home turf and deliver a program of workshops, peer-to-peer learning and field trips that place practical action front and center. “Colombo is where the real work of the industry comes into focus,” says Cascale events director Yael Asher. “This forum is about meeting manufacturers and suppliers where they are, listening first, and then working side by side on solutions that actually fit day-to-day operations, whether that’s cutting emissions, improving purchasing practices, or making sustainability tools genuinely useful on the factory floor.” Apparel Impact Institute (Aii) president and CEO Lewis Perkins will be among attendees looking to engage with suppliers around factory improvements that aid decarbonization.

The 2025 Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen. Now in its 17th year, the summit brings together stakeholders from across the fashion value chain.Photo: Courtesy of Global Fashion Agenda

Global Fashion Summit: Copenhagen Edition

When: May 5 to 7

Where: Copenhagen, Denmark

The Global Fashion Agenda’s flagship conference returns this year, a month earlier than usual. The theme for 2026 is “building resilient futures”, which CEO Federica Marchionni said is all about “embracing a plurality of perspectives” and prioritizing a just transition. “There is no single roadmap, only context-specific pathways that must collectively lead towards a just and regenerative fashion system,” she said in a statement shared with Vogue Business. “Whether you are a policymaker, designer, manufacturer, innovator, investor, or changemaker, your role in shaping the future of this ecosystem matters.” With a broad list of stakeholder groups in attendance and an increasingly dynamic agenda, it offers itself as a useful pulse check for the state of sustainable fashion.

The Scope 3 Innovation Forum

When: June 16 to 17

Where: Amsterdam, Netherlands

It’s well known by now that the bulk of fashion’s emissions are classified as Scope 3 — indirect emissions throughout a brand’s whole supply chain — making it an area prime for innovation. This is the founding principle of London-based sustainability events organizer Innovation Forum’s Scope 3 event, which promises “two days of honest, off-the-record discussion” where attendees will “dig into the next phase of Scope 3 action”, from policy alignment to energy transition strategies, supplier engagement and financing models. Perkins will be in attendance, owing to the event’s strong overlap with Aii’s electrification priorities and high-impact decarbonization projects.

Future Fabrics Expo (FFE) and Textiles Recycling Expo

When: June 24 to 25

Where: Brussels, Belgium

After 10 years in London, Future Fabrics Expo is on the move. As part of a new collaboration with Textiles Recycling Expo, the two events will be held back to back in Brussels, with organizers hoping to leverage their shared audience. “With significant EU policy changes reshaping our industry, Brussels provides a suitable location,” says Nina Marenzi, founder of non-profit and Future Fabrics Expo host The Sustainable Angle. While Textiles Recycling Expo focuses specifically on textile recycling, Future Fabrics Expo showcases a broader range of preferred and alternative materials, with a talk program spanning regenerative agriculture to just transition.

Former Vogue Business 100 Innovator Emma Håkansson and founding director of non-profit Collective Fashion Justice, says her team will be exhibiting at Future Fabrics Expo for the first time. In partnership with luxury leather goods manufacturer Veshin Factory, Collective Fashion Justice will showcase plant-based and bio-based alternatives to animal leather, joining a line-up of around 150 exhibitors spotlighting over 10,000 materials, adds Marenzi.

London Climate Action Week

When: June 20 to 28

Where: London, UK

The UK’s answer to New York Climate Week has been slowly gaining traction since its launch in 2019. According to Aii’s Perkins, London Climate Action Week has established a reputation as “one of the more finance-focused industry conversations throughout the year”, making it a prime spot for innovators seeking scale and investors looking to help them reach it. This year will see over 700 virtual and in-person events take place throughout the city. While 2026’s flagship events program is yet to be revealed, among the early bird, fashion-adjacent confirmations is sustainability consultancy and talent platform The Now Work, which will host a candid, closed-door briefing on “The Sustainable Fashion Reset”, unpacking the future of sustainability strategy and outlining how to build the best team to realize it.

Cascale Annual Meeting

When: September 15 to 17

Where: Athens, Greece

Cascale’s annual meeting is the industry association’s flagship event, which gathers brands, manufacturers, retailers, NGOs and sustainability leaders for two days to focus on accelerating collective action, according to the organizers. Events director Asher says attendees can expect “honest conversations about what’s working, what isn’t, and what needs to change next”. There will also be “less talk about ambition for ambition’s sake, and more focus on how we move faster together, with shared accountability and real collaboration at the center”, she adds.

New York Climate Week

When: September 20 to 27

Where: New York, USA

New York Climate Week returns at the end of September, alongside the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, once again bringing its signature mix of policymakers and private sector players. The 2025 edition was the biggest in its history, attracting over 100,000 attendees from 85 countries across more than a thousand events. A slew of sustainable fashion organizations clubbed together to stage the Climate and Nature Studio, including Textile Exchange, Aii, Global Fashion Agenda, Cascale, ZDHC, Worldly, Fashion For Good and The Fashion Pact. The 2026 agenda is expected in the coming months.

The 2025 Textile Exchange conference in Lisbon, Portugal.Photo: Diana Tinoco, Hugo Macedo, Matilde Fieschi, Pedro Pina

Textile Exchange Conference

When: October 13 to 15

Where: Vancouver, Canada

The location of the annual Textile Exchange Conference tends to alternate between Europe and North America. This year, Vancouver will play host, following the 2025 conference in Lisbon. Expect a rare opportunity to engage with Tier 4 producers, a deep focus on scaling preferred production systems (particularly textile-to-textile recycling and regenerative agriculture) and a field trip program to apply your learnings at the source. “Bringing producers, brands and supply chain partners into the same conversations has strengthened alignment and helped move debates from theory to implementation,” says Textile Exchange CEO Claire Bergkamp. “We intend to create more opportunities for this cross-system dialog in 2026.”

Obroni Wawu October

When: Throughout October

Where: Accra, Ghana

Since 2022, Ghana’s capital has played host to a major upcycling festival throughout October, celebrating its many secondhand markets, creative upcyclists and role on the frontlines of fashion’s waste crisis. The event takes its name from a local phrase meaning “dead white man’s clothes”, the colloquial term used for clothing imported from the Global North. Obroni Wawu October was designed to be the Global South’s answer to Secondhand September, says Sammy Oteng, festival lead and head of fashion development at Ghanaian American non-profit The Or Foundation.

Community events will take place throughout the month, culminating in a one-day upcycling spectacular on the last Sunday of October, where attendees can listen to live music, enjoy performances from dancers-turned-wastepickers, shop from local designers, and show off their wares on-stage during the “drip contest”. “The festival highlights Kantamanto, a community that has long practiced circularity out of necessity, and which has innovation embedded in its culture,” says Otend. “The event foregrounds local creativity while challenging conventional narratives around waste, value and design.”

COP31

When: November 9 to 20

Where: Antalya, Türkiye

The annual UN climate conference returns in November, picking up where COP30 — hosted in the Brazilian Amazon in 2025 — left off. The most recent iteration had many negotiators and activists frustrated at the lack of meaningful progress to phase out fossil fuels, but one of the key takeaways from COP30 was the launch of the first dedicated fossil fuel conference, which is scheduled to take place in Santa Marta, Colombia, in April 2026, co-hosted by the Netherlands. More information to come, but it’s sure to be an interesting primer (or antidote) to COP31.

While fashion’s attendance at the main COP event has been patchy at best, it remains a unique opportunity to meet with financial institutions and philanthropies, while learning from other industries, says Perkins. COP31 will take place in key fashion sourcing country Türkiye, possibly bringing greater engagement from the industry.

Sustainability Talks Istanbul

When: December 8

Where: Istanbul, Türkiye

Sustainability Talks Istanbul returns in December with another one-day symposium bringing together regional and international leaders in fashion production. The 2026 edition will focus on how the industry moves from pledge to progress, all while navigating increasingly complex geopolitical, climate and regulatory pressures. Due diligence, regulatory readiness, circularity and decarbonization will be high on the agenda, according to organizers. The stakes are particularly high for host country Türkiye, which is a critical player in global fashion supply chains, but has struggled in recent months with brands relocating production off the back of Trump’s tariffs. “Hosting these conversations in Istanbul allows the event to bridge global brand strategies with the realities of production, sourcing and compliance, offering a grounded view on what credible and scalable sustainability transformation truly requires,” notes Orbit Consulting, which organizes the event alongside production giant Kipaş Textiles.