Counterfeits can undercut fashion brands’ sustainability claims

As Copenhagen Fashion Week opens, brand-protection firm Axencis says fake versions of sustainable fashion items are not just cheaper copies but the least regulated products in the category. The warning puts anti-counterfeiting inside the sustainability conversation as brands face pressure to prove their environmental claims.

Why it matters: - Counterfeit fashion can erase the sustainability benefits a brand has spent money and time building. - A fake sold under a brand’s name can be made in unregulated facilities with no oversight of dyes, materials or waste. - That means the customer may buy the most environmentally damaging version of a product while thinking they are buying a sustainable one. - Axencis says design enforcement should be treated as part of a brand’s sustainability program, not as a separate legal issue.

What happened: - Axencis issued its warning as Copenhagen Fashion Week opened the autumn season. - The company said counterfeit products are a blind spot in fashion’s sustainability push. - Axencis framed fake goods as unregulated manufacturing wearing a brand’s sustainability story. - Alex Wrexford, author of The Takedown, said, “A fake isn't a cheaper version of a sustainable product - it's the opposite of one. Same logo, none of the standards.”

The details: - Counterfeiting is a $467 billion global trade, with clothing, footwear and accessories among the most-targeted categories, according to OECD and EUIPO data cited in 2025. - A counterfeit carries a brand’s name and design but none of its supply chain controls. - Brands may control every factory they own and still have their designs reproduced at scale without those controls if enforcement is weak. - Axencis coordinates enforcement across trademark, copyright and platform channels. - Axencis uses human-verified takedowns and legal escalation through Schedule A cases. - Axencis describes its work as brand protection, IP enforcement and financial recovery from counterfeit operations. - Axencis serves brands across fashion, automotive, consumer electronics and licensed merchandise. - Axencis shared a social media link to its LinkedIn page.

Between the lines: - The argument broadens sustainability from production standards to post-sale control. - If counterfeit goods are not addressed, a brand’s environmental claims can be diluted by products that never went through the same sourcing or compliance checks. - The warning also suggests that anti-counterfeiting may become a reputation issue, not just a legal one, for fashion labels marketing greener products.

What’s next: - Brands pushing sustainability claims may face more pressure to prove they can police unauthorized copies of their designs. - Enforcement teams may be asked to work more closely with sustainability and compliance teams. - Fashion companies that want cleaner supply chains may need to show cleaner control over how their designs appear in the market.

The bottom line: - A counterfeit can turn a sustainability win into a brand liability if it carries the logo but none of the standards.