A few years ago, the term "greenwashing" was coined to describe a company's attempt at appearing environmentally conscious. Today, it has grown into an all-encompassing word that is used to define companies who are not green but want you to believe they are.
Identifying greenwashing becomes especially important too when modern-day fashion houses are using words like "sustainable" and "eco-friendly" as buzzwords to make their garments sound more appealing, without actually adhering to any standards of environmental friendliness.
This leaves consumers asking, “So what is greenwashing in fashion really?” and wondering whether what they’ve purchased truly aligns with their values.
To help, we’ll define greenwashing, give examples and tips for how to spot it, all in this blog.
What is the definition of greenwashing in fashion?
In fashion, the term greenwashing refers to a fashion house or brand making its consumers believe it is more environmentally conscious than it really is.
Greenwashing isn’t just subject to the fashion industry though. Many industries have been accused of greenwashing, including the automotive industry and the retail industry.
In fact, greenwashing was first coined way back in 1986 by environmentalist Jay Westerveld who, when staying at a hotel, noticed the hotel asking its guests to reuse towels to “save the environment”. In reality, Westerveld discovered they weren’t washing guests towels to save on utility costs.
Since then, it’s a term that’s stuck to describe any brand or company that claims to be acting in a particular manner for the benefit of the environment, when in actual fact, they’re not doing - or supplying, in case of the fashion industry - what they claim to be.
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What is an example of greenwashing?
In fashion, an example of greenwashing could be a fashion brand or house stating that they are using ethically sourced sustainable materials in their garments, or they are committing to fairtrade practices for the manufacture of their products.
However, in reality the brand may be using organic materials - which are sustainable - but they may not be sourced ethically. Ethically sourced materials refers to those which have been farmed using conscious farming practices that protect the environment, and are beneficial to the farmer by paying a good price for the work and the crop.
Likewise, the brand claiming to be committed to fair trade practices may well have signed an agreement stating that it wants manufacturers to be paid an equal living wage, but it may not have undertaken research to ensure that its workers are receiving those wages, or are working in a safe and fair environment.
Want to become a sustainable fashion brand? Use our get-started guide.
In fashion, which clothing brands are greenwashing?
In the fashion industry, many clothing brands have unfortunately been outed as greenwashing.
Notable examples include everyone’s favourite, Primark, who claimed they were passionate about fairtrade for their manufacturers, but who in reality were revealed to be turning a blind eye to child labour practices happening in factories where their clothing was being produced.
Zara also came under fire for launching a range of environmentally friendly collections using sustainable cotton and wool, whilst continuing to sell existing ranges which included known chemicals toxic to the environment. Consumers were rightly outraged that Zara couldn’t have it both ways and felt their sustainability pledge was cancelled out by their toxicity in others.
How do you identify greenwashing clothing?
When it comes to greenwashing in the fashion industry, there are a number of ways to identify brands using greenwashing.
Initially, fast fashion brands are likely to greenwash. That’s because fast fashion is produced in masses, quickly, at great cost to the environment, and is not made to last - meaning cheaply made products end up as toxic landfill.
So if you see a range of clothing that’s mostly been brought out in line with an event - such as a sporting event - and won’t have any semblance beyond that, it’s likely to be a byproduct of fast fashion and no amount of fairtrade practices used within it will lessen its overall environmental impact.
Other ways to spot brands who may be greenwashing in a more subtle manner include:
If there’s a trade-off
Some brands will say a garment is eco-friendly based on the small set of attributes without considering all aspects of production.
For example, they may claim that their clothing line uses organic cotton and sustainable fabrics, but it's not clear whether or not this brand has made any efforts to reduce its carbon footprint during manufacturing with less harmful dyes for instance.
This hidden tradeoff can make consumers feel duped about what exactly qualifies as truly environmentally friendly clothing when they're trying to avoid harming our planet in every way possible--whether we are conscious of it or not!
Though this can be tricky to identify, look for a brand’s pages about their sustainability practices to get a better idea of what exactly their practices entail. Good signs include things like using renewable energy in production, taking measurable steps to reduce excess water and carbon emissions and actively sourcing eco-friendly attributes like fabrics and dyes.
If you’re a fashion brand that does want to use sustainable materials in your garments, you can learn how to source sustainable fabrics here.
2. If there’s no proof
This is the most blindingly obvious one of all the signs to look out for. If a fashion house or brand claims that their clothing is made from recycled materials, or claims they pay fair wages, but can’t actually back those claims up with cold, hard proof - it’s likely they’re greenwashing.
To spot it, double check their details. If the brand is touting fair trade, check their policy pages to see if there’s information about what exactly their fair trade payments entail. Things like providing healthcare coverage for workers, investing in the safety and welfare of workers and paying significantly above the average wage are all good signs.
You can then cross check those claims with evidence. For example if a brand states that they invest in the health and safety of workers, there should be proof that brand representatives regularly visit or oversee their factories.
3. If they’re vague
Vague fashion brands are almost as bad as those claiming they’re doing something without providing the proof, and the way to identify them is very similar.
Vague brands will often try and use industry jargon to confuse everyone and cover up the truth of their greenwashing. For example they might use noncommittal words like “conscious”, without describing exactly what conscious means.
Does it relate to the methods of farming used to source the materials:? Does it relate to the manufacturing processes? Does it relate to the fair trade of farmers and workers?
Just like spotting those brands making claims without proof, you can identify vagueness by scouring for details. The word “natural” is always a warning sign because natural materials don’t always relate to those that are environmentally friendly or sustainable.
For example, “natural cotton” may be grown with toxic chemicals and farmed in a way that is harmful to the environment. So it’s best to delve deeper into the exact practices that a brand used when making their “natural” line. Checking things like sustainability pages and product description pages or garment tags will help with this.
4. If they’re brand new and actively discrediting the competition
This one is slightly more obvious to spot than the above because it relates entirely to fast fashion brands. New brands who spring up and promote their sustainable ethics or eco-friendly practices whilst actively discrediting their competition, and bringing out line upon line of products are likely to not be all that environmentally conscious at all.
Why? Because sustainable fashion is about less. Brands who are leveraging cheaper and faster production methods are not sustainable, and are likely using farming practices that are harmful to the environment in order to produce a vast array of what they claim to be conscious goods.
Brands committed to sustainability will focus on smaller ranges of higher quality, long lasting garments. They won’t use green products in the absolute masses, and especially not if those garments also follow the fast fashion business model of responding to fashion trends.
Their products may well contain organic materials, but a fast and furious production approach still creates masses of waste, promotes overconsumption and will inevitably result in unethical fair trade practices down the line.
To summarise
Greenwashing is unfortunately rife in the fashion industry, but there are ways to spot it. Look for labels and certifications before buying new clothes or accessories from any brand, as these may provide insight into what kind of environmental practices they are following. If a clothing line does not have such information readily available on their website, ask them about it! There should be no shame in getting clarification if you want to make sure your money isn't going towards anything misleading.
Finally, fashion brands and designers should also strive to do all they can with regards to using environmentally friendly production methods when possible. For those looking to make sustainable choices, material sourcing and research are two of the services we offer at James Hillman as part of our Fashion Production services. Get in touch with us today to see how we could help you in your sustainable fashion development.
