In February 2025, the Greenwashing specialist Tanja Gotthardsen and the Danish consumption organization Tænk submitted a lawsuit to the Danish supervisory authority for consumers: inside. The lawsuit was directed against the Copenhagen Fashion Week (CPHFW) and seven participating Danish fashion companies: Baum and Pferdgarten, Berner Kühl, Forza Collective, Herskind, Opérasport, Stine Goya and Won Hundred.
The lawsuit refers to the so -called ‘Sustainability Requirements’ of the CPHFW. These have been valid for the participants since 2023: inside the official program. According to the plaintiffs: Inside, these requirements are not strict enough and misleading for consumers: inside. Examples of this are the use of terms such as ‘environmentally friendly’ without evidence. The application of synthetic substances as ‘green’ – a nonsensical term – was also criticized. Now the supervisory authority, which monitors compliance with the Danish consumer law, has now decided. She found the lawsuit as inadequate for further legal steps. No procedure is initiated.
The CPHFW welcomes the decision. The managing director Cecilie Thorsmark previously emphasized LinkedIn that the sustainability requirements are intended as guidelines. They do not promise that the brands are actually sustainable at the fashion week. However, Tanja Gotthardsen is not satisfied with this. She writes on her LinkedIn profile that the organization of the CPHFW was neither acquitted, nor that it is confirmed that it does not operate a greenwashing. According to the plaintiffs, the CHFW and Dansk Mode & Textil are now spreading misleading information about the outcome of the procedure.
The most important thing, according to Gotthardsen, is the recommendation that the consumers: Interior supervisory authority addresses the CPHFW in their decision: According to the Danish Marketing Act, the CPHFW should better pay attention to Greenwashing. Among other things, this is necessary because the CPHFW describes the participating brands on their website itself as “sustainable fashion brands”. The CPHFW also has to monitor misleading marketing towards business partners: better in the inside. Consumers: Interior supervisory authority also does not rule out that a misleading impression is given. As a result, participating brands could appear more sustainable at the fashion week than they actually are.
However, what Gotthardsen evaluates positively is that the accused brands have started to revise their websites and their communication. This was done both as a reaction to the lawsuit and the points mentioned by the agency.
The early excitement around the case shows that transparency and the enforcement of sustainability promises in the fashion industry are important topics. Even if the Green Claims directive is not implemented, Greenwashing remains a central concern.
This article was used with digital tools translated.
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