How Copenhagen Fashion Week revealed their "radical" sustainability plan for 2020 and it rocks

Once again Scandinavia are paving the way for the world to be sustainable. Copenhagen Fashion Week opened with a major announcement from Cecilie Thorsmark, CEO of CPHFW - brands will not be allowed to show at Copenhagen Fashion Week if they don't meet certain sustainability standards by 2023. This is major news.

As part of the presentation Copenhagen Fashion Week set out 17 minimum standards that designers have to meet, including using at least 50% sustainable materials (organic, up-cycled, recycled, or certified fair trade). They titled the presentation Sustainability Action Plan 2020-2022.

The one thing that makes me feel ok in this day in age is knowing that out there there are solutions, options and tangible actions we can take. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to be the best we can be for the Earth and the environment, and rightly so. We should take responsibility for our existence on the planet. Having said that as consumers, other than pointing our demand at eco-friendly alternatives and hope that companies take note, it can feel as though we are one tiny cog in a huge system. As such it really up to the large corporations to take action and help us as consumers help the planet.

As I am sure most of you already know the fashion industry is one of the planet's biggest polluters, and this can sometimes be difficult for us as humans, as we tend to express ourselves and our personalities through fashion. We shouldn't have to give up our artistic outlet - both can simultaneously exist. However what can no longer exist is fast fashion, next day deliveries that aren't electric or green deliveries, shipping from China and this endless demand for things we don't need. What needs to happen is fashion companies need to use recycled materials, obtain green and eco-efficient delivery systems, not churn multiple lines a year and stop marketing to us item that we simply don't need.

I hope London, New York, Paris and Milan will follow suit.

You can read more about Copenhagen Fashion Week's Sustainability Plan here: https://copenhagenfashionweek.com/sustainability/