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There is enormous pressure right now from consumers on brands to commit to sustainable practices. Because of this, many more brands are making efforts to move to more sustainable production methods. However, some brands are merely engaging in an unethical practice known as greenwashing to give the appearance of being sustainable. What is greenwashing and what should you look for when buying your next favorite garment? Read on and find out.
What Is Greenwashing?
Put simply, greenwashing is the practice of marketing a company as being more sustainable than it is. It’s akin to putting “all natural” on a package of eggs. Eggs are always going to be “all natural.” There are many different methods companies might use for greenwashing their products. Some companies practice greenwashing in the hopes that they can command a higher price for the same product.
Overall, it’s very sneaky – and a dishonest practice. Here are some of the sneaky ways brands greenwash.
Only having one line dedicated to being sustainable.
Many companies will try to “green” their fashion brands by dedicating a line to sustainability. While it’s better than not having any sustainable practices, this practice often gets oversold when it comes time for marketing. Instead of marketing that line as their sustainable or ethically produced line, they market themselves as being a sustainable company. This isn’t true if their practices with their other lines are not, in fact, sustainable.
Promoting things that are not sustainable.
Vegan leather sounds great until you realize that vegan leather is often made from plastics and is not at all sustainable. Allyson Chiu’s Washington Post article “’Vegan,’ ‘Sustainable’: How to Spot Misleading Fashion Claims” reminds us that “definitely vegan leather is not sustainable whatsoever.”
Another common greenwashing tactic is the promotion of sustainable packaging that isn’t sustainable. Many companies will advertise eco-friendly packaging, but when consumers receive it, they find that it is not, indeed, eco-friendly. Or, sometimes companies will use eco-friendly packaging, but it’s the only effort they’ve made toward being sustainable.
Not being transparent about what sustainability means to them.
What does the word “sustainable” mean to you? Does it mean low carbon emissions? Does it mean organic fabrics? Does it mean avoiding fast fashion traps? Think for a minute about all the different things that sustainability might mean for you. There’s no standard stopping a company that hasn’t gone through the certification process from claiming they are “sustainable” or “eco-friendly” when they are not.
What to Look for to Avoid Greenwashing Brands
While it’s easy to spot greenwashing when you know what to look for, what’s harder is to find ways around it and support brands that are actively embracing sustainable practices. Here’s a short list of what to look for if you want to support sustainable brands.
Certifications
There is a variety of certifications a brand can earn to demonstrate that they are sustainable. Look for GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard), OCS (Organic Cotton Standard), Fairtrade, Oeko-Tex, and Bluesign certifications. If you’re unsure about what a certification means, you can check out the Ecolabel Index.
Fair wages and good working conditions
Another important factor to look for when determining whether to support a brand or not is to check the brand’s reputation for how it treats its workers. Do they pay fair wages? Are the working conditions good and respectful of employees’ humanity?
Eco-friendly fabrics
Some fabrics will be more sustainable than others. Look out for fabrics that have any plastic content (nylons, polyester, vegan leather, etc.) You’ll also want to be wary of bamboo. While it’s one of those things like vegan leather that sounds, like it should be eco-friendly, it’s not. Chiu points out that “bamboo is also known to have one of the worst manufacturing practices,” which often requires large amounts of water and chemical processing.”
Ratings with an ethical fashion watchdog
If you’re in doubt about whether a company is greenwashing or if they are up to snuff when it comes to their eco-practices, there are a few ethical fashion watchdogs you can look at. Eco-Stylist and Good On You are two such sites where you can look up your favorite brands.
It Takes Effort, But You Can Commit to Sustainable Fashion
While you do need to do your homework, all isn’t for naught if you want to move away from fast fashion toward supporting sustainable brands. By becoming familiar with certifications, common pitfalls, and fashion industry watchdogs, you can begin to become more confident in navigating the world of eco-friendly fashion.