Is Copenhagen Fashion Week really that "sustainable"?

The nitty-gritty of sustainability criteria at CFW, plus a checklist for a holistic approach to fashion weeks and fairs

Welcome to The Crisps–your weekly newsletter on anti-greenwashing and honest fashion communication. In this issue, we get into the nitty-gritty of sustainability criteria at Copenhagen Fashion Week and give you a checklist for a holistic approach to fashion weeks and trade fairs.

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Whenever we see fashion weeks and trade fairs positioning themselves as “sustainable”, we are skeptical. Yes, curating brands that are doing things better than the mainstream is great and makes the lives of buyers, journalists, fashion lovers, and other stakeholders easier. That is, when there’s a robust framework behind the events. One, that everyone can access.

While we believe transparency is essential, it didn’t come to much of a surprise that our research came out … well, almost empty. No fashion week or trade fair publishes their sustainability criteria AND their evaluations. Barely any have sustainability criteria or don’t talk about it publicly.

There is only ONE fashion week that publishes its sustainability criteria: Copenhagen Fashion Week (CFW).

If you’re organizing fashion weeks or fairs, here’s our plea to set up sustainability criteria and make them public.

Now, let’s jump into the issue with an analysis of the CFW criteria and finish it off with a checklist for a more holistic approach to “sustainable” fashion weeks. Get your hands on it further below!

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Copenhagen Fashion Week

Download the Sustainability Requirements of Copenhagen Fashion Week.

Back in 2020, CFW introduced its sustainability action plan including a framework brands have to meet to show their collections. Spanning from strategic direction to design, smart material choices, working conditions, consumer engagement and show production, 18 minimum requirements have to be met. Next to the minimum requirements, “brands also have to answer around 60 additional questions” that touch on topics such as resell/rental services, science-based targets, investments in land restoration, overstock, design for body inclusivity, five freedoms of animal welfare and more.

But again, those additional criteria are optional.

The minimum standards were developed in collaboration with In futurum and Dansk Fashion & Textile. (A big plus for sharing who worked on the requirements!) In 2021 CFW started a pilot with 12 brands and fully implemented their requirements for their AW23 schedule.

“Since their launch, the framework has been adopted by several national and Nordic partners (Copenhagen International Fashion Fair, Norwegian Fashion Hub, Oslo Runway and Icelandic Fashion Council) who will implement the requirements in their respective organizations over the coming years.”

Here are the 18 minimum requirements¹ in more detail:

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Let’s discuss the requirements in more detail and find out what CFW could or should add

In sharing their sustainability requirements at all, CFW is a front-runner in the industry. And we feel their minimum criteria are a good start!

Here comes the BUT: