Chancellor King Highlights SUNY Commitment to Sustainable Practices at FIT’s Sustainable Business and Design Conference
April 8, 2026
FIT Conference Offers Business Leaders and the FIT Community the Opportunity to Discuss Challenges and Solutions in Improving Sustainability Efforts Across the Fashion, Business, and Creative Industries
New York, NY — State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today participated in the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) Sustainable Business and Design Conference and used the opportunity to celebrate FIT’s leadership in advancing sustainable practices to help transform the global fashion, business, and creative industries. The conference, started in 2007, attracts forward-thinking companies and industry leaders to engage in open forums, workshops, and discussions to address challenges facing the industry and how to implement climate and business-friendly solutions. The theme of the 20th anniversary conference is Industry Disruptors, Celebrating Two Decades of Progress by Highlighting Those Transforming Our Industry for the Better.
"Sustainability and innovation are core principles at SUNY, and FIT is a leader within the creative industries and academia on both priorities," said SUNY Chancellor King. "The FIT Sustainable Business and Design Conference, now celebrating its 20th anniversary, is an excellent opportunity for industry professionals and thought-leaders to discuss challenges and opportunities to grow businesses in climate-conscious and fiscally-wise ways. I commend FIT and President Schupbach for promoting a culture of climate sustainability and serving as an example for others to follow."
The SUNY Board of Trustees said, "SUNY has emerged as a leader in empowering students through internship opportunities, job training initiatives, and the affordable excellent public higher education that provides the tools necessary to succeed after graduation. FIT is helping to advance those efforts, while also providing students with the understanding that wise actions on sustainability efforts are good for the environment and make good business sense. We commend FIT on their commitment to supporting students and raising their profile within the greater fashion industry and related fields."
FIT President Jason Schupbach said, "At FIT and across the SUNY system, our longtime commitment to sustainability has been driven by students, faculty and staff through research, projects, and collaborations. We are grateful for the ongoing leadership of Chancellor King and the SUNY Board as we partner at the FIT Sustainable Business and Design Conference to address pressing issues and help reshape the future of fashion and the creative industries."
As part of the SUNY system, FIT has been a leader in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and energy usage and has successfully reduced the college’s carbon footprint by more than 55 percent from 2007 levels. FIT has pioneered and implemented innovative climate sustainability efforts, including rooftop solar panels, steam-powered heating, cooling, and ventilation systems, and LED lighting with occupancy sensors to reduce energy usage. FIT is also recognized as having a vibrant sustainability culture and works to cultivate student enthusiasm for advancing climate-conscious practices within the fashion and creative industries. During the conference, President Schupbach also announced that FIT’s new Joyce F. Brown Academic Building, which opened in October 2025, earned LEED Gold certification for its construction, design, and efficiency.
The fashion industry has a global economic value of approximately $1.7 to $2.5 trillion dollars, with an annual revenue nearly $1 trillion according to business leaders and researchers. It is also responsible for approximately 10 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions and 20 percent of global plastic production. The FIT Sustainable Business and Design Conference is focused on addressing those concerns by providing an annual forum for industry professionals and emerging leaders to discuss how to advance business opportunities while also developing in sustainable and climate conscious ways.
Raul J. Aguirre, Executive Director of the Adirondack Council, said, "Northern New York’s Adirondack Park is the largest protected landscape in the contiguous United States, and one of the few places where conservation and sustainable economic development are mandated by law and embedded in daily life. Sustaining this balance requires continued leadership, investment, and innovation. SUNY and Chancellor King’s support of the Sustainable Business and Design Conference help equip entrepreneurs and investors with the tools to advance climate-friendly solutions, strengthen rural economies, and build resilient businesses for the future in the Adirondacks and across New York State."
Allison Considine, New York Director at the Building Decarbonization Coalition, said, "SUNY demonstrates what leadership on sustainability looks like through conversations like those happening at FIT, and through meaningful action and investments to decarbonize its campuses. We are grateful to partner with an institution that leads by example and sets a high bar for climate responsibility while preparing the next generation of industry leaders. This kind of commitment is exactly what is needed to drive lasting, systems-wide changes."
Bill Ulfelder, Executive Director of The Nature Conservancy in New York, said, "The Nature Conservancy applauds the State University of New York’s leadership in advancing sustainability across its campuses and communities. From shaping sustainable global fashion trends at FIT to investing Environmental Bond Act funding in clean energy projects like geothermal systems at the University at Buffalo, SUNY is showing the powerful role public institutions can play to drive solutions that conserve natural resources, protect public health, strengthen the economy, and tackle climate change."
Julie Tighe, President of the New York League of Conservation Voters, said, "SUNY and FIT are helping move the fashion and creative industries toward more responsible ways of doing business. The conversations here connect innovation with accountability, bringing together leaders ready to rethink how materials are sourced, products are made, and companies act on climate. We applaud SUNY for leading by example on sustainability and preparing the next generation to drive real, measurable climate progress."
State Senator Erik Bottcher said, "FIT continues to demonstrate that New York can lead the way in building a more sustainable and forward-thinking global economy. I commend Chancellor King, SUNY, and the entire FIT community for convening industry leaders, innovators, and students to tackle the climate and business challenges facing the fashion and creative sectors. As we look to the future, initiatives like the Sustainable Business and Design Conference not only highlight meaningful progress, but also inspire the next generation to drive responsible growth and climate-conscious innovation."
About FIT
A part of the State University of New York (SUNY), FIT has been a leader in career education in art, design, business, and technology throughout its history. Providing approximately 9,000 students with an uncommon blend of hands-on, practical experience, theory, and a firm grounding in the liberal arts, the college offers a wide range of affordable programs that foster innovation and collaboration. Its distinctive curriculum is geared to today’s rapidly growing creative economy, including fields such as computer animation, toy design, production management, film and media, and cosmetics and fragrance marketing. Internationally renowned, FIT draws on its New York City location to provide a vibrant, creative community in which to learn. The college offers nearly 50 majors and grants AAS, BFA, BS, MA, MFA, and MPS degrees, preparing students for professional success and leadership in the new creative economy. Among notable alumni in fashion are Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, Norma Kamali, Reem Acra, Brian Atwood, Stephen Burrows, Dennis Basso, Francisco Costa, Nanette Lepore, Bibhu Mohapatra, Ralph Rucci, John Bartlett, Peter Do, Daniel Roseberry, and Michelle Smith. Other prominent graduates include Leslie Blodgett, creator of bareMinerals; international restaurant designer Tony Chi; and Nina García, editor-in-chief of ELLE.
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state's only college of optometry, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, over 30 ATTAIN digital literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2025, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and annually one in three New Yorkers who earn a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.
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