Further details of all of these requirements can be found on the CPHFW website, and as of January this year, all shows officially on the schedule had to conform to a set of minimum standards set by the fashion week’s governing body. These include claims such as championing diversity and equality throughout each team, particularly in management roles; informing customers about the value of longevity; creating at least 50% of each collection from certified, upcycled, recycled or sustainable materials; not offering single-use plastic packaging and having a zero waste show and production. All of this, when totalled up and combined with a number of additional factors, creates quite the push for more planet and people-friendly business practices.

“For our organisation, we set sustainability targets that are summarised in our action plan,” added Thorsmark, speaking of CPHFW’s three-pillar sustainability plan split under ‘educate’, ‘reduce’ and ‘accelerate’ sections. Educate revolves around teaching others the importance of a more sustainable fashion industry and sharing knowledge of how to create one. Reduce focuses on points such as reporting on and reducing event Co2 emissions, using electric vehicles and trains as modes of transportation, and ensuring all shows are zero-waste. Accelerate is made up of actions including communicating with neighbouring fashion councils and continuously adding to the minimum standards for showcasing and rewarding brands that are making significant sustainable changes.

But will other fashion weeks follow suit and implement some of CPHFW’s changes? Well, Helsinki and Oslo Fashion Weeks certainly have. Although ‘the big four’ – London, New York, Paris and Milan – seem to be much slower at enforcing any sort of sustainability initiatives. In fact, three of the four (Milan being the exception) have no reference to sustainability or any planet-friendly focus on the event websites. This is disappointing, especially when considering that fashion accounts for up to 10% of global Co2 emissions, which is more than international flights and shipping combined or one-fifth of the 270 million tonnes of plastic produced each year. More clothing is being produced than ever before, often ending up in landfills, according to Bloomberg.

Is a planet-friendly fashion week really possible? A closer look at Copenhagen