Do you know what greenwashing is exactly? More and more people are becoming interested in sustainable fashion and lifestyle, so I’ve been surprised to see that very few people actually know, let alone recognize greenwashing.
But these days it’s a concept that everyone should be aware of!
Because the bottom line with greenwashing is that it’s a lie. It means that you are being scammed in order to gain something from you. Often money that you probably wouldn’t give away if you knew the truth.
So, take a moment to consider how does it make you feel when you’re being lied to? We’ve been led to believe that instant gratification and cheap clothes are our right, but this is in fact not true. It’s time to unlearn all of that bullshit by becoming aware of the lies we are surrounded with.
What Is Greenwashing And How To Avoid It?
Many of us witness greenwashing on a daily basis. But there are many of us who aren’t quite familiar with the deceitful tactics with which this form of marketing is portrayed to us.
The important thing to understand before we dig deeper, is the fact that it’s a tactic that harms the only planet we can live on. And it also hurts your wallet, because you’re giving your money away for no value in return.
Check out also: The Best European Fashion Brands – Sustainable Luxury 2024
What does ‘greenwashing’ mean?
The term ‘greenwashing’ is in fact not a new term: it was coined over 60 years ago! It came about when the hotel industry created the ultimate lie, which then became a marketing tactic that we still see today:
- Hotel guests are asked to use the same towels throughout their stay.
- Their reason for this was given as a way to save the environment.
- In reality the hotel’s only aim was to save a major amount of money in laundry costs.
So, as I mentioned earlier, the baseline of greenwashing is that by lying to customers a company is aiming for extra financial gain.
Now, since this blog is about fashion, let’s look at what is greenwashing in the fashion industry and how it’s utilised:
1) “Sustainable” collections
Fast fashion brands ride on the current eco-conscious trend by marketing some of their collections as ‘sustainable’ or ‘ecological’. Not everything they sell, just one specific, often very small and a more expensive collection.
When you see a fast fashion brand promoting an ecological or sustainable collection, you know it is 100% greenwashing.
- Fast fashion brands’ collections are NEVER sustainable or ecological.
- Even if they used organic cotton, the cotton comes from farms where abuse and toxic chemicals are a normality
- These brands abuse their workers and poison entire waterways and fields, leaving people hungry and sick.
- Everything about a fast fashion business model goes against sustainability.
2) Specific use of colours and imagery
Greenwashing in the fashion industry is all about adverts that shout the word ‘eco’ with nothing to back up those claims. Also, using green colours in their marketing can be seen as an effective marketing tactic.
They make a lot of noise about being ecological while actually doing nothing of the sort. Add to that the fact that the fashion industry is one of the biggest contributors to the climate crisis. These brands have all the resources to do better for the planet and people but they refuse to do so.
3) Not transparent at all about brands’ supply chains
While claiming to be sustainable or eco-friendly, the fast fashion brands engaging in greenwashing do absolutely nothing to back the claims they make. You can never find any proof for their claimed ‘sustainability’ because there is no proof.
Transparency is everything for the genuine sustainable fashion brands. And it’s no problem for them because there’s nothing to hide. Whereas a large amount of the money that fast fashion brands put on hiding their supply chains could actually be saved if they switched their business model to a 21st century one.
With a quick search online you can see a lot of examples of fast fashion brands using green labels as a decoy for their customers. The brands trust that most of us are too lazy to think with our own brains. And too often they are correct.
Below I explain why certificates actually don’t prove anything when it comes to a brand’s sustainability. So, do not rely on any certifications when looking for proof of a brand’s legitimacy.
How to avoid greenwashing
The first step to making sure you’re not a victim of greenwashing while shopping is to be aware of its different forms. When you recognize how it’s used in marketing and advertising, you can steer clear of such products.
Sometimes knowing whether a certain brand is legit or not can take a bit of digging into. To avoid wasting your time, I will give you some concrete examples of greenwashing, through which you can recognize it easily.
The first thing you should do right now is to google ‘Fast Fashion brands’. You’ll be met with a list of all the logos of the best known fast fashion brands. So, first things first, avoid shopping from these brands as far as you’re able.
The second thing to do is to be critical about what you are told. It may sound laborious but it really isn’t! All you need to do is ask a couple simple questions when you see an advert screaming “RECYCLABLE!”, “ECO-FRIENDLY!” or other similar bs. Ask yourself
- Is it really?
- Where can I find proof of this?
Last and the most obvious sign of greenwashing: THE PRICE! If a pair of jeans costs £20 it is not legit. PERIOD. It cannot be legit on any scale, it’s a simple impossibility because
- making a pair of jeans costs a shit-ton more than £20 (fabric + natural resources + labour + factory costs, etc.)
- So, how can they be sold for £20?
The bottom line in recognizing greenwashing from legit advertising is quite simple: if it’s a known fast fashion company none of their production is in any shape or form sustainable.
If you want to be extra sure while shopping, see if the brand checks out all of these:
Proof for green claims CLEARLY visible
To be completely honest, if you have to do a lot of research to figure out whether a brand is as sustainable/ecological as they say, they probably are NOT. Proof of a brand’s sustainability should be easy to find and decipher. If it’s not, the brand is hiding something, aka greenwashing.
Be aware of the fact that there are loads of eco-certificates that any brand can get by paying for it. These “eco-initiative” certificates are just talk, no action. That’s why you’ll see a lot of fast fashion brands boasting certificates like
- GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard)
- B Corporation
- Fair Trade, etc. (Fair Trade fruit is more expensive because the Fair Trade organization charges producers for the certificate…. it’s a scam!)
I’m sorry to say that NONE of these certificates say anything about a brand’s eco-friendliness. Quite the opposite: the brands with the biggest coffers can just buy them. This often excludes actual sustainable brands that are small and niche.
In addition, fast fashion companies exaggerate the little recyclability that their products might have. For example, if the package of an item is recyclable, they shout about it loudly. But they don’t tell you that the actual product itself cannot be recycled.
So, we must stay attentive and not swallow what they give us without chewing it properly first. But if we can’t even trust certificates to distinguish a sustainable brand from the rubble, where do we go looking for proof?
Transparency is a non-negotiable
As mentioned above, genuine sustainable brands have absolutely no need to engage in greenwashing. Their operations are legit, which means that they have nothing to hide from their customers. Let’s take a concrete example:
♦ With fast fashion brands the garments made out of recycled materials are designed to end up in the landfill within months from being bought. On top of which, creating the recycled fabric creates an immense amount of pollution.
You can’t find any information on where these “recycled” fabrics came from, where the clothes were made and how the people who made them are treated. Thus, there is zero transparency.
♦ Whereas proper sustainable brands have their manufacturing and supply chains clearly explained and openly displayed on their website. This means that they can track who exactly made your bag or shoes. In addition, their material production is transparent: you can see whether the linen for your dress came from Europe or elsewhere.
All information in regards to production and the brand’s overall operations should be easily available on the brand’s home page. If it’s not, we can assume the brand is lying and hiding things from you. Remember that real sustainable brands have nothing to hide. They are happy to show you everything.
Follow sustainable fashion advocates on social media
One of the easiest ways to make sure you avoid greenwashing and instead shop legit sustainable brands, is to follow people who know about this shiz.
With the demand for sustainable fashion growing, there are loads of people you can follow on social media to find out about sustainable fashion brands. They will spill the beans on the brands you want to know about!
Such advocates include myself (follow me on Instagram), Besma and a climate activist Venetia La Manna, just to mention a few. We all showcase examples of fast fashion scams, share information and of course introduce brands worth knowing.
Educate yourself
Believe it or not, learning more about the fast fashion industry will help you recognize real sustainable brands from the rubble. And to avoid becoming a victim of greenwashing. This may sound like a lot of work, but it doesn’t have to be. Start with these:
- Check out the Fashion Revolution website and their amazing array of information and resources.
- Read ‘How to Break Up With Fast Fashion‘ by Lauren Bravo.
- Discover and listen to podcasts on sustainable fashion.
Final Thoughts on Greenwashing
Greenwashing is a devilish tactic, and it’s only purpose is to destroy the world we live in for the sake of money. Money, which none of us can take with us when we die. So why horde so much material?
Capitalism has programmed our brains to expect instant gratification (shopping addiction is a serious affliction among us Westerners). But that means that we can also reprogram our brains!
We can unlearn this capitalistic nightmare and learn to see shopping as a value-bringing action. Not a way to horde stuff that we don’t care about to begin with.
And inspiration for reprogramming our brains can be found closer than we think. Our parents’ and grandparents’ generation know what actual value in fashion is!
This is simply because they grew up without fast fashion and this literally unfound sense of privilege that has made us think that cheap clothes are a human right… They’re not!
What do you think, could you recognize greenwashing from a legit brand? I’d love to know your thoughts, so comment below and let’s chat! ♥
Follow me on Instagram and use #styleoutlandish to showcase your style! I’m always on the lookout for outfit inspiration. Get to know me better by listening to my podcast, Random Rambles. If you wish to work with me, check out my services here!
