No further action in Copenhagen Fashion Week greenwashing case
In February 2025_ greenwashing specialist Tanja Gotthardsen and the Danish consumer organisation Tænk filed a complaint with the Danish Consumer Ombudsman against Copenhagen Fashion Week (CPHFW). and seven participating Danish fashion companies: Baum und Pferdgarten; Berner Kühl; Forza Collective; Herskind; OpéraSport; Stine Goya; and Won Hundred.
The complaint focused on CPHFW's so-called 'sustainability requirements'_ which have been in place for participants in the official programme since 2023. According to the complainants_ these requirements are not strict enough and are misleading to consumers. Examples include the use of terms like 'eco-friendly' without substantiation and the promotion of synthetic fabrics as 'green'_ a substantively meaningless term.
A local consumer watchdog responsible for enforcing Danish consumer law has now decided that_ given that Copenhagen Fashion Week is not directly consumer facing_ it will not pursue further legal action at this point.
CPHFW is pleased with the decision. Director Cecilie Thorsmark previously emphasised on LinkedIn that the sustainability requirements are intended as guidelines. They do not promise that the brands at the fashion week are actually sustainable.
Tanja Gotthardsen_ an "anti-greenwashing specialist" that filed the complaint against the fashion week_ is not letting the matter rest. She wrote on her LinkedIn profile that the CPHFW organisation has not been acquitted_ nor has it been declared that they do not engage in greenwashing. According to the complainants_ CPHFW and Dansk Mode & Textil are now spreading misleading information about the case's outcome.
The most important aspect_ writes Gotthardsen_ is the advice the Consumer Ombudsman gives to CPHFW in the decision: CPHFW should pay closer attention to greenwashing under the Danish Marketing Practices Act. This is partly because CPHFW itself describes the participating brands on its website as “sustainable fashion brands”. CPHFW must also improve its oversight of misleading marketing towards business relations. The Consumer Ombudsman also does not rule out that misleading impressions are being created. This can result in participating brands at the fashion week appearing more sustainable than they actually are.
What does please Gotthardsen is that the accused brands have begun to revise their websites and communications. This is in response to both the complaint and the points raised by the Consumer Ombudsman.
The early controversy surrounding the case shows that transparency and the enforcement of sustainability claims are key issues in the fashion industry. Even if the Green Claims legislation is not implemented_ greenwashing will remain a significant point of focus.