Greenwashing in the fashion industry: don’t be fooled!
ASOS, Asda, Boohoo and H&M are four of many fast-fashion retailers that have been under fire for greenwashing over the past year, signifying a huge setback for consumer transparency.
The term greenwashing, coined in 1986 by environmentalist Jay Westervelt, refers to the spreading of false claims by organisations to present themselves as environmentally responsible. With the rising trend in consumer consciousness and reducing carbon footprints, fast fashion brands have been quick to capitalise on consumers’ desires to live more sustainably, using claims of ‘ethical’, ‘eco’ and ‘green’ clothing collections to drive sales.
These claims, however, are dangerous in continuing to push fast fashion sales. The fashion industry itself is already the world’s second-largest polluter after the oil industry, releasing 1.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere — that’s more than international flights and shipping combined!
So, who are the culprits?
Last year, the Central Markets Authority (CMA) began its crackdown on claims that brands such as ASOS, Boohoo, H&M and George at Asda were misleading consumers. Since then, the CMA has found that 59% of sustainability claims made by brands were unsubstantiated or misleading.
Further research from Synthetics Anonymous has delved into the stats and found H&M to be particularly misguiding, with its ‘Conscious Collection’ containing an even higher percentage of synthetics than its main collection (72% versus 61%).
Boohoo’s recent appointment of Kourtney Kardashian as Sustainability Ambassador is another blatant attempt to greenwash by a fast fashion company. Kourtney’s collection comprising of vintage leather jackets and pieces made from recycled fibres could be seen as a step in the right direction. However, the 45-piece collection is only representative of a tiny fraction of Boohoo’s 40,000 pieces sold each year and distracts from the real damage that brands such as Boohoo and H&M are doing to the environment.
And it is not only fast fashion brands that greenwash. The Synthetics Anonymous report calls out over forty brands for their use of synthetic fibres and failure to commit to move away from them. Some of the biggest names include: Calvin Klein, Gucci, Levi’s and The North Face.
Why greenwash?
With the ethical fashion market predicted to grow around 10% in the next three years, brands are keen to tap into this market. A continually growing trend towards sustainability, on the whole, has also encouraged investors to pour funding into brands that incorporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) measures. These funding opportunities encourage brands to take a more climate-friendly approach to clothing production, in theory, enabling them to differentiate themselves from other fast fashion brands. However, campaigns are inadequete and lack real drive for change within the industry.
What can you do?
Though it seems like fake green claims are everywhere, there are things you can do to avoid falling into the greenwashing trap and shop more sustainably.
Be aware of buzzwords and claims that brands are ‘sustainable’, ‘green’ or ‘eco’. These terms are not controlled so can be used by any company and most of the time. Look out for actual evidence that backs up sustainability claims to make sure that you can spot a true sustainability campaign from a fake one.
Break up with the fast fashion industry. Leeds is home to a huge array of second-hand and charity shops, Leeds’ Library of Things has fancy dress items ready to borrow and apps like Hazaar, Vinted and Depop enable us to extend product life cycles, preventing new purchases. With Hazaar you can even pick up items from sellers on campus — removing postage fees and preventing shipping emissions!
Read the SyntheticsAnonymous report, here: http://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/SyntheticsAnonymous_FinalWeb.pdf
