Vogue: In February 2025, greenwashing specialist Tanja Gotthardsen and Danish consumer organization T\u00e6nk filed a complaint with the Danish Consumer Ombudsman against CPHFW, accusing it of greenwashing. What was going through your mind when that happened?<\/p>\n
I wasn\u2019t surprised that someone wanted to question or challenge our framework. Constructive criticism is what pushed our fashion week in this direction in the first place \u2014\u00a0had there not been criticism of our industry, we probably would have gone on as usual, without the minimum sustainability standards. I was maybe slightly surprised that a case was filed, but I was confident that our framework was extensive and thorough. We have been advised by top international experts in different fields from materials to human rights \u2014\u00a0you name it \u2014\u00a0and we knew it was ambitious for the industry, which didn\u2019t have any requirements before, and very little by way of legislation. I was also confident that it was being used in the way it was intended, to screen brands.<\/p>\n
Vogue: Seven fashion companies were named in the case \u2014 Baum und Pferdgarten, Berner K\u00fchl, Forza Collective, Herskind, Op\u00e9raSport, Stine Goya, and Won Hundred. The activists that filed the case were concerned that these brands were not using the framework as intended, but using it to make green claims.<\/p>\n
In Denmark, we have very strict guidelines for communicating about sustainability. One of the minimum sustainability standards in our framework is actually that you must communicate about your initiatives, which the brands were doing. The ombudsman dropped the case against us and the seven brands. We haven\u2019t changed anything. Ultimately, it was a good opportunity to have an authority assess our framework, and it has allowed us to continue.<\/p>\n