4 Ways That Copenhagen Fashion Week is Sustainable

One of the fashion weeks that is gaining a lot of attraction and popularity over the last few years is Copenhagen Fashion Week (CPFW). Held biannually, it is one of the largest events happening in Nordic countries. What was especially accentuated this year was environmental sustainability, which was first presented in 2020 through the Sustainability Action Plan. This is the first time that all participating brands meet the minimum 18 sustainability standards. The brands were also approved by the CPFW committee and the CPFW sustainability committee. 

Ditching The Myths To Help Answer, What Is Sustainable Fashion?

CPFW kick off on January 31^st, with an impressive lineup of designers including the likes of Saks Potts, Ganni, Division, Iso Poetism, and more. With 21 physical showcases, 2 digital screening events and 7 digital premieres, the focus of this year’s Copenhagen Fashion week was the younger audience and their non-physical presence. However, what made a specific impression for the 3.4 million views on YouTube, was the partnership with Tik Tok, serving as an inspiration to new creators. Also, there were some technical innovations in the fashion shows, presented through Copenhagen fashion brand and label (Di)vision. 

NYNNE Shares Why Danish Fashion Is The Most Sustainable

With great strides towards making as many sustainable changes as possible, these are some of the practices that the CFW focused on:

1. Reduced carbon emissions

CFW has reduced emissions in all areas of event production, including catering, ground transportation, print material and merchandise. According to the latest Annual Sustainability Report of 2022, the average carbon footprint per guest has been reduced by 77%. 

2. No single-use plastic packaging

With the ban on single-use plastic back in 2020, CFW has completely phased out single-use materials in any part of the event production for the brands that are a part of the show. 

3. Use of 50% recycled, upcycled, or deadstock material

One of the minimum sustainability standards for brands is the pledge to not destroy unsold clothes. The CFW stands for and encourages participating brands for using at least 50% organic or recycled textiles in their collections. 

4. Fair wages across the supply chain

CFW requires full compliance from the suppliers in terms of minimum wages and promotes fair wages across the entire supply chain. 

The new 2023-2025 Sustainability Action Plan is expected to be released in the first quarter of 2023. 

5 Ted X Talks To Teach You How To Break Up With Fast Fashion