Six zones will showcase innovation in fashion, material and retail sustainability and more. 

Brand Licensing Europe is partnering with Products of Change to spotlight sustainability in a new activation at this year’s event, which takes place in-person at Excel London from 17th-19th November, followed by an online event on 30th November to 1st December.

The 220sqm BLE Sustainability Activation, in partnership with Products of Change, will be front and centre on the show floor and feature six unique zones (outlined below) set to inspire the industry to move towards a more sustainable future. The zones will highlight the inroads brands, retailers and manufacturers are already making in fashion, product, material and retail innovation, as well as the impact this can have on the global licensing industry, consumers, and beyond.

1.       Fashion Innovation

• Sustainable fashion company and apparel licensee Teemill will showcase its circular innovation, bringing to life the process of shredding material to re-use.  The award-winning manufacturer is a fantastic example of a business committed to making the circular economy a reality.
• Brand Fashion Swap: To highlight the increasing popularity of fashion rental/clothes swapping, BLE organisers are asking visitors to bring an old item of branded clothing to the event, donate to industry charity The Light Fund, and swap it for another piece of apparel.

2.       Material Innovation

The Material Innovation area will illustrate the processes behind recycling materials, such as turning plastic into new products, stone into handbags and hay into lamps. The area will also showcase the latest technology platform for material impact scoring from Brand Conscience.

3.       Retail Innovation

Learn about Asda’s George for Good strategic approach to sustainable production, including its core sustainability pillars, licensed product ranges and 100% sustainably sourced school uniform ranges, along with its new 3D technology to reduce waste in production.

4.       Product Innovation

Visit the sustainable licensed products showcase, featuring brand owners and licensees from across the brand licensing industry, including Hasbro, Mattel, Lego, Keeleco, Character World, Dreamtex, Discovery, and Tesco. The deadline to contact BLE about participating in the showcase is end of September – please email ella.haynes@informa.com for more information.

5.       Brands for Social Change

This area will highlight how brands are working together to drive social change and will include a room set from The Eden Project, Cornwall’s hugely successful eco visitor attraction, through to inspiring products from The Natural History Museum and BBC Studios.

6.       Products of Change 121 Clinics

Visitors to BLE are invited to drop in for a free ‘121 clinic’ with the experts at Products of Change, including founder Helena Mansell-Stopher and a plethora of POC ambassadors, who will provide valuable advice and guidance for every stage of the sustainability journey.

The activation will also host a Health & Wellbeing lounge for attendees to take a welcome mental break away from the show floor.

On the outside walls of the activation, BLE attendees can read up on the United Nation’s 17 life-changing Sustainable Development Goals. The graphics will be supported by stats on why being sustainable makes sense for individuals, organisations and the planet provided by Kids Industries, and information about Informa Market’s own initiatives to be more sustainable.

“Brand owners, retailers and manufacturers have all been making purposeful and practical commitments to improving the sustainability of their products, businesses and the sector as whole through a range of initiatives focused on putting the planet before profit, and we can’t wait to showcase these at BLE in November to inspire others on their sustainability journeys,” commented Anna Knight, VP of Licensing, Informa Markets.

Helena Mansell-Stopher, founder & CEO of Products of Change added: “With both Covid and Brexit hitting business hard this year, it has been extremely encouraging to see the industry still focusing on transitioning to a more sustainable production model, as well as incorporating a large proportion of the UN 17 Sustainable Development Goals within their sustainability frameworks. I cannot think of a better place to celebrate the industry’s achievements than being able to physically show them at BLE this year. It is a real honour to be working with the progressive team at Informa to bring this activation to life, and I’m really looking forward to inspiring more businesses to come on the sustainable journey with us”.