Italy has a plan to make the fashion retail business sustainable from end to end. The aim is to highlight the urgent need for sustainability in the fashion retail ecosystem and give in-depth pointers on what materials are exceptionally harmful and what alternatives companies can make use of in their place.

The plan categorises sustainability under eight heads to make things easier to understand: Territorial, Social, Environmental, Anthropological, Technological, Energetic, Administrative and Economic Sustainability.

The idea is to embed sustainability in the fashion culture and give everyone a way to measure where they stand as well. The industry has been involved in this endeavor. A host of big fashion names have been brought in, namely, Ermenegildo Zegna, Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Prada, Salvatore Ferragamo, Versace, etc. The agenda focuses solely on retail, making note of everything from lighting, shelf placement and interior design of the space to even things like how much time a customer spends in stores.

A general manifesto on sustainability in Italian fashion was released around five years ago. Plans are to continue adding to this list with a sustainable approach to production, social responsibility as well a strategy to recycling economy.