‘Vegan,’ ‘sustainable’: How to spot greenwashing in fashion

Greenwashing is kind of a mix of not having any meaningful information, but also tinkering and making words up in a way that sounds amazing, but no proof is provided, says Cosette Joyner Martinez, a professor in the department of design. , housing and merchandising at Oklahoma State University. Clearwashing like We will give you a rich display of information that is ultimately meaningless. Giving me the street address of a supplier in China tells me nothing about what’s going on there.

Is the fork really biodegradable? The company may have to prove it soon.

Left messy through incomplete or inaccurate information, experts say, many buyers find it difficult to understand everything. Customers are largely informed by a company’s marketing, and that’s where the confusion comes in, says Lynda Grose, a professor of fashion design and critical studies at the California College of the Arts. All companies… always put their best face on, and they’re very selective about what they choose to be transparent and what they choose not to be transparent. This caused a lot of confusion in the community.

And it’s often difficult to judge whether a brand is intentionally exaggerating their claims or is out of error, said Roland Geyer, a professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara’s Bren School of Environmental Science and Management.

It is sometimes difficult to decide whether a company or people within an organization are actively misleading or whether they are truly true believers just barking up the wrong tree, or just want to believe that is the way they can actually make a difference, Geyer said.

Greenwashing 101: How to break down company claims about climate change

But developing a keen eye and taking the time to research can help you get a better idea of ​​what is and is not in the fashion world. Here are some common forms of greenwashing to watch out for, as well as tips from the experts on how to check brands and their claims.

Retailers who describe themselves or their products using environmentally or socially conscious keywords, such as sustainable, without providing additional evidence or explanation should raise a red flag.

There really is no agreed upon industry or legal definition of sustainability, says Katrina Caspelich, head of marketing for Remake, a global non-profit advocating for fair wages and climate justice in the clothing industry. As a result, brands literally define sustainability based on their own interpretation to justify paychecks, growth and profits.

A company can make improvements in only one aspect of its resource-intensive and emission-heavy supply chain, such as reducing the amount of water needed to make its clothing, and call the clothing sustainable, experts say.

But in reality, sustainability is much more complex. Cotton, for example, is widely considered to be more sustainable than polyester, a synthetic fiber commonly made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource, and associated with high carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions. But the sustainability of cotton depends on a variety of factors, such as how it is grown and processed, or whether polluting or hazardous chemicals are used to process the fiber, says Joyner Martinez. Often, he notes, no information will be disclosed so it is sustainable [claim] never really proven.

Certifications and efforts to support more sustainable practices can signal that companies aren’t all talking, experts say. The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) or Organic Content Standard (OCS), for example, are two organic certifications assigned to clothing. Some brands also participate in organizations like The Better Cotton Initiativea non-profit organization focused on cotton sustainability.

The overall sustainability of a garment must also be determined by how it is used, especially how long it can be stored outside of landfills, says Joyner Martinez: When we talk about the sustainable consumption of clothing, the brass ring is the longevity of the garment.

You won’t stop shopping for new clothes. Here’s what to do instead.

It is common for brands to promote campaigns or changes to their operations that appeal to conscious consumers. But the way companies typically advertise these efforts gives the impression that their entire process is like that, when in reality it’s usually only a small part of operations, says Karen Leonas, a professor of textile science in the Wilson College of Textiles at North Carolina State University.

Launching a line or collection of clothing made by garment workers who are paid a living wage or who use production methods with fewer resources is a good step to take, but it’s not enough, experts say.

It can’t be the only measure of your company’s sustainability, says Alice Roberta Taylor, chief of staff for the nonprofit Global Fashion Agenda. Just doing that one range doesn’t mean the company is sustainable.

Instead, it’s important to evaluate a company or industry’s net worth, says Grose: Does the brand as a whole reduce carbon emissions and water use and pay a living wage?

There’s waste built into the current system and reducing the impact to a fraction of that doesn’t move the needle, he said.

What really happens to your clothes after you donate them

Vegan, natural or organic ingredients

Experts also warn against taking certain ingredients for granted just because they are associated with language that signals sustainability. Vegan leather, for example, is one of the greenest claims, says Sonali Diddi, a professor in the department of design and merchandising at Colorado State University who researches the production and consumption of sustainable clothing.

While vegan leather has become a popular alternative to traditional leather, the name is a rebranding of pleather, or plastic leather, a synthetic material based on fossil fuels. This faux leather is mostly made of polyurethane or polyvinyl chloride, also known as PVC, both types of plastic. (Several companies are working on plant-based alternatives, but those products are not yet widely available.)

From a sustainability standpoint, definitely vegan leather is totally unsustainable, says Diddi.

But by describing the material as vegan which is technically accurate, as it contains no animal products, consumers may think they are buying eco-friendly clothing. It plays on people’s emotions and their values ​​to get them to buy something that might not be as good, says Joyner Martinez.

And keep in mind that ingredients labeled natural or organic aren’t always more sustainable.

Yes, bamboo is natural, says Diddi. People, as soon as they hear bamboo, they’re like, OK, I’m being a good customer who buys bamboo products. However, bamboo is also known to have some of the worst manufacturing practices, which often require a lot of water and chemical processing.

Some studies also show that organic cotton yields less yield than conventional cotton despite using the same amount of resources, Diddi said. Just because organic doesn’t mean it’s the best, she says.

And while the material may be organic, he adds, companies can use cheap labor to make clothes.

Patagonia’s orthodox approach to political activism and the planet

How to look past greenwashing

Once you have an idea of ​​what greenwashing might be, experts say the next step is knowing how to evaluate brands and their claims.

We have to do our homework, says Mark Sumner, a lecturer focused on sustainability in the textile, clothing and fashion industries at the University of Leeds School of Design. The real homework is about trying to understand which brand you want to buy and why, then thinking about what exactly does that brand do?

Check the brand’s website. See if the brand talks about sustainability in an open and easy-to-understand detail. For example, do they share specifics about how they source ingredients, how they manage issues in their supply chain and is it part of a voluntary agreement intended to improve their practices? If they don’t say those things, a simple rule of thumb is you’ll assume they haven’t done anything, says Sumner.

Caspelich also suggests researching the images brands use alongside their sustainability claims. Generic nature photos or stock images should be a red flag.

Look for evidence of action. If you want more confidence that a brand is not just talking, Sumner recommends looking for sustainability reports especially those audited or assessed by a third party.

Independent branding can be another useful resource. A accountability report 2021 from Remake scores dozens of fashion companies on key issues such as environmental justice and climate change, wages and welfare, and raw materials, among others. Other resources including brand ratings and scores Good On Youwebsites and apps, as well as annual reports such as the Ethical Fashion Guide from Baptist World Aid, an Australian-based Christian charity, and Fashion Revolutions Fashion Transparency Index.

Check certification. You may also have more confidence in a brand or product if it has credible third-party certification, experts say. Besides GOTS and OCS, other labels to look for include Fairtrade, Oeko-Tex, or Bluesign.

That Ecolabel Indexa global label directory, can be a useful research tool to better understand the meaning of the different certifications.

Ask questions and trust your instincts. If in doubt, you should contact the brand with questions, says Caspelich. If not, he and other experts suggest relying on your instincts.

If it sounds too good to be true or if it’s an overarching statement, then it’s likely greenwashing, Leonas said.

Sign up for the latest news on climate change, energy and the environment, delivered every Thursday