From 5-7 May, the Global Fashion Summit: Copenhagen Edition 2026 brought together industry leaders, policymakers, and sustainability experts for a series of timely conversations on building a more circular and equitable fashion system.

Policymakers including Member of the European Parliament, Paulo Cunha and European Commission representative, Kristin Schreiber joined sessions centred on the shifting policy landscape and the practical steps needed to scale circular business models.

Open Content Sessions

Policy Masterclass: Building Resilient Legislation

Opened by Federica Marchionni, CEO, Global Fashion Agenda, the pre-Summit Policy Masterclass examined the evolving regulatory landscape across key global markets. María Luisa Martínez Díez, VP Public Affairs, Global Fashion Agenda offered insights into EU implementation trends, while Michelle Gabriel, Lecturer, Columbia University and Yale University, reviewed policy developments in the United States. Perspectives from Asia were contributed by H.E. Manish Prabhat, Ambassador of India to Denmark and H.E. Siti Nugraha Mauludiah, Ambassador of Indonesia to Denmark.

The session concluded with a panel discussion on how policy can shape innovation and create the conditions needed to scale circular solutions.

Key takeaways from the panel:

• Innovation must be predictable, SME-compatible, and embedded directly into industrial strategy.
• Major barriers persist, including fragmented EPR frameworks, weak recycling economics, and inconsistent second-hand market rules.
• Harmonisation and targeted incentives, such as repair schemes, tax measures, and data tools, are essential to drive progress.
• The ultimate aim is to make circular business models competitive with linear ones.

Is Policy Still a Lever for Impact?

Moderated by Bella Webb, Sustainability Editor, Vogue Business, this session brought together Andreas Rasche, Professor, Copenhagen Business School, Kristin Schreiber, European Commission representative, and Wendy Savage, Senior Director, Social Impact & Transparency, Patagonia, to debate whether policy can still drive meaningful impact while balancing sustainability with economic resilience.

Key takeaways:

• Voluntary commitments have helped shape regulation, but systemic change requires enforceable, incentive-driven policy.
• Circularity will only scale through predictable, SME-compatible implementation.
• Systems must be designed to reward the right business models and mindsets.

The EPR Push: Managing Textile Waste

Moderated by María Luisa Martínez Díez, VP Public Affairs, Global Fashion Agenda, with contributions from Paul Doertenbach, Head of Landbell Textile EPR Programme, Landbell Group, Mauro Scalia, Director Sustainable Businesses, EURATEX, and Marie Busck, Chief Sustainability Officer, Dansk Mode & Textil, this session explored EPR compliance, harmonisation, and lessons drawn from other sectors.

Key takeaways:

• Fit-for-purpose, harmonised textile EPR schemes can enable efficient cross-border collection, sorting, and recycling across the EU and US.
• Initiatives such as the Textile PRO forum are seen as critical to driving harmonisation on core EPR issues, including eco-modulation, fee distribution, and governance models.

Roundtables

Alongside the open programme, the Summit hosted a curated series of closed-door roundtables designed to deepen industry collaboration and advance key policy discussions. These included Incentives for Circular Textiles, Walking the Green Talk Through the Labelling Maze, and the Global Textiles Policy Forum.

For more information about the Summit visit globalfashionsummit.com.