Alicia Silverstone speaks at the Green Carpet Fashion Awards – WWD

The Green Carpet Fashion Awards made their Los Angeles debut during Oscars week.

Honoree Alicia Silverstone, a longtime vegan, had the loudest voice, calling out industry leaders and fashion and beauty companies, urging action.

“What can all actors and all people do?” she asked the room, receiving the “Integrity” award. “We can boycott anything that is not sustainable, conscious and cruelty-free. I’ve said no to so many campaigns over the years because if we don’t put our face to it, we stand for change. If none of us were promoting these products or these companies, imagine how awesome that would be. If they are politely told why we are rejecting them, they will start listening and change.”

Over the past 25 years, she continued, “When I’ve been invited to events, I’ve asked if they offer plant-based meals and if the answer was no, I’ve politely pushed for them to make that change. And I refuse green events because I don’t understand the hypocrisy.”

The ceremony menu was actually vegan on Thursday night at the NeueHouse in Hollywood — with the exception of the chocolate tart dessert.

“As much as you can eat that way is important because – you don’t have to be perfect – but to understand that animal husbandry is responsible for almost 50 percent of global warming,” Silverstone said. “Nine million people die of hunger every year, and that’s largely because we take the food they could eat and feed it to animals instead. The resources needed to make one burger could have fed entire villages. So by choosing plant-based foods, you are standing up for these 9 million people and recognizing that animal protein is an inefficient use of our precious resources. When it comes to fashion, there are a few things I try to do. I buy my clothes used at The RealReal and vintage shops and stuff like that. And I support eco-brands because there are people who do things so consciously and fabulously.”

In recognition of leaders driving sustainable efforts, the evening was opened by Trudie Styler, who presented Tom Ford with the “visionary” honor as “an extraordinarily innovative thinker, someone who not only sees the way to a better world in the future, but then did it and made it a reality today.”

She continued: “He decided to tackle one of the most pervasive problems of our time, pollution caused by thin film plastics. This is the type of plastic that makes up almost half of the 11 million tons of plastic that enter our oceans each year, destroying marine life, creating microplastics and causing chemical pollution at every step of the life cycle.”

“Maybe I don’t seem like your typical biosphere health emissary,” Ford said, chuckling as he took the stage. “But the truth is, like all of you in this room, I cannot watch as the planet is slowly being coated in a thin, oily film of plastic that will be inherited by our children and future generations.” He shared the trophy with his partner in the mission, he said, the Lonely Whale Foundation – founded by actor Adrian Grenier and producer Lucy Sumner.

The designer-director then announced the winners of the Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Prize, a global competition raising $1.2 million in cash and investment courtesy of sponsors Tom Ford Beauty, The Estée Lauder Cos. and Trousdale Ventures. The funds aim to help companies scale their solutions to replace thin-film plastics.

The award went to companies using algae to fight climate change: Sway, which uses algae-based home-compostable substitutes extensively; Zerocircle, which makes animal and marine safe packaging materials from native seaweed in India; and Notpla, a London start-up that makes plastic-free goods.

Ford served as co-chairman with Cate Blanchett, Viola Davis, Quannah Chasinghorse, Simone Ashley and Simu Liu, and board members Christopher Bevans, Tonne Goodman, Bethann Hardison and Amber Valletta.

Leonardo DiCaprio appeared next to present the Healer award to Sonia Guajajara, Minister of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil. “One who has dedicated her life to protecting and regenerating the Earth’s ecosystems,” said the actor. “The simple fact is that the Amazon rainforest depends primarily on those who have the most expertise in protecting its ecosystems… and those are, without question, its indigenous defenders.”

The evening also recognized Gabriela Hearst; Eric Liedtke and Tara Moss, co-founders of Unsess Collective; Edward Enninful, Editor-in-Chief of British Vogue and European Editor-in-Chief of Condé Nast; Gucci (for his work in the Metaverse) and the late Vivienne Westwood. Attendees and presenters included Jodie Turner-Smith; Annie Lenox; Jerry Hall with daughter Georgia May Jagger; Mike D; Halima Aden; Heidi Klum; Pokimane and a host of young leaders, including 2023 Nobel Peace Prize nominee Vanessa Nakate, Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General Sophia Kianni, and environmental and human rights activist Helena Gualinga.