Sustainable design education initiative unveiled at ICFS 2025

Experts, scholars, and students share insightful views at the "Sustainable Design Education" workshop. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] 

The "Wuhan Initiative on Sustainable Design Education" was unveiled by the "Sustainable Design Education" workshop at the third International Conference on Fashion and Sustainability (ICFS 2025), held from Oct 26 to 29 at Wuhan Textile University (WTU).

The workshop brought together experts, scholars, international students, and educators from 13 countries, including Australia, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, providing a platform to explore innovative practices, address current challenges, and chart future directions in sustainable design education.

The event featured thematic presentations and interactive discussions, with Wang Xin from RMIT University delivering an enlightening presentation titled "Developing a Sustainable Curriculum", which highlighted advancements in fabric technology and biomaterial research. Wu Qi from the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology discussed her institution's pioneering teaching models, focusing on industry chain collaboration, ESG talent development, and interdisciplinary practice.

Tao Hui, head of the School of Fashion at WTU, led discussions on the challenges of sustainable design education and student development. These dialogues addressed integrating sustainable design education with market dynamics and consumer behavior, emphasizing the crucial role of public education in promoting responsible consumption.

A significant portion of the discussion centered on balancing student attitudes, such as the "lie-flat" and "Buddha-like" approaches, with personalized education. Experts stressed the importance of providing students with the freedom to explore autonomously while guiding them to align their interests with clear design goals.

The workshop concluded with consensus among participants, leading to the formal launch of the initiative, which calls for enhanced cultural exchanges and for integrating the rich traditions and local cultures of various countries into globally standardized sustainable design curricula.

It also advocates for innovative educational collaboration models, strengthened industry-academia-research partnerships, and the promotion of responsible consumer behavior.

The "Wuhan Initiative on Sustainable Design Education" is unveiled at the workshop. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]