The flagship of sustainable fashion, the Estonian Fashion Festival (EFF), has been awarded the international Greener Event Commended Certification, which recognizes the outstanding sustainable events. EFF is the first Baltic fashion festival to receive such an accolade.

“We are truly delighted to receive this international recognition,” said Key Külaots, Director of the Estonian Fashion Festival (EFF). “For years, we have worked to make Estonian fashion culture more sustainable and ensured that participating designers share this commitment. Now we can confirm that we hold ourselves to the same high standards,” Külaots explained, thanking the entire team and partners who have tirelessly helped reduce the festival’s environmental footprint.

The certification was achieved for the fashion festival held in June in Tartu, following a rigorous assessment process by not-for-profit sustainability specialists from A Greener Future (AGF). The assessment covers areas such as transport, energy, waste, water usage, the local environment, carbon emissions, and food and beverages. AGF assessors noted that the EFF was a well-managed, environmentally aware event that went beyond expectations to make positive change.

The EFF was evaluated across 12 categories and earned its highest results in waste reduction and material reuse, promotion of eco-friendly transportation, cooperation with the local community, and sustainable management and organisation.

Additionally, evaluators at A Greener Future praised EFF’s year-round commitment to shaping Estonian fashion culture. “Our sustainability efforts go beyond the three fashion shows in June,” said Maria Kristiin Peterson, EFF’s Head of Sustainability. “We aim to make sustainability a year-round part of fashion, creating the Fashion Friend’s ABC guide, organising the Greenery seminar, and producing podcasts to engage the public with sustainable fashion,” Peterson added.

AGF’s framework was created in 2007 as the world’s first sustainability standard for festivals and events. It has since been used to guide, assess, and certify hundreds of events and venues worldwide, providing independent auditing and external oversight. The assessment covers detailed analysis in areas such as governance, environment, community, transport, energy, procurement, catering, waste and water management, external impact, and carbon footprint.

Among others, AGF has certified music festivals such as Primavera Sound (Spain), Roskilde (Denmark), and Sziget (Hungary), as well as venues like Abba Voyage and The O2 (UK). In the Baltics, two events have now received AGF certification: the Estonian Fashion Festival and I Land Sound.