BUSINESS
Greenwashing in the Fashion Industry
By: Nola Roberts
“Sustainable,” “Eco-friendly,” and “Energy Efficiency” are all terms frequently advertised to describe fashion brand’s efforts towards more environmentally-friendly production and advertising practices. However, presentation of their practices is often deceptive, leading consumers to believe brands are more sustainable than they really are. “Greenwashing,” a now-infamous term, is defined in the fashion industry as “the unjustified and misleading claims from brands that their products are more environmentally friendly than they really are.” This is a widespread issue affecting many individuals across the country, leading us to constantly question whether these brands really are sustainable, or are they just claiming to be?
Lily Cassin, an Environment, Sustainability, and Policy student at Syracuse University delves into greenwashing and sustainability, saying, “Greenwashing misleads customers and investors about a product’s environmental impact through false claims of sustainability.” Upon asking Cassin to dive deeper into the impacts on the planet, she explains, “Sustainable clothing is vital to a healthier planet not just because of the harmful practices required to manufacture most clothing, but because clothes take up large amounts of space in landfills and can take centuries to decompose.” Cassin continues to explain how companies charge higher for what they claim to be “sustainable clothing.” Meanwhile, Cassin says, “If individuals truly want to do the healthiest thing for the planet they should keep their current clothes as long as possible or buy second hand.”
Over the years, many brands have been caught or accused of greenwashing. Shein, in particular, has falsely claimed to have eco-friendly products and decent working conditions. They even went as far as hiring an “environmental, social, and governance” head while continuing to run a business that mistreats its workers and harms the environment. Companies often claim and pledge to promote their “ethical” practices, when in reality they have extremely poor working conditions and are not minimizing their carbon footprints. ASOS made similar claims of environmentally-friendly practices; however, they use materials such as “polyvinylchloride and polyurethane, two thermoplastic materials which are very hard to recycle.” H&M claimed to have scorecards which tracked “green credibility” of products, meanwhile none of these were true. Even Lululemon has used vague language to market their products such as, “We’ll adapt infrastructure to take back products after first use and recycle materials into a valuable next life, including fibre-to-fibre.” But Lululemon has yet to clarify what infrastructure they would be using to recycle. This is not only misleading to consumers, but false advertising.
In order for consumers to properly gauge if a company is free of greenwashing, they must look for different certifications. For example, the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is a certification that shows a company upholds their social and environmental responsibilities. The Oeko-Tex Standard tests a product at each stage of the production to ensure customer safety, and Fair Trade Certification makes sure the employees are treated fairly.
Greenwashing undermines the effort to maintain a sustainable planet, misleading consumers and further harming the environment. A statement released by the UN claims “the fashion industry is responsible for 2 to 8 percent of global carbon emissions.” Greenwashing and fashion brands alone are immensely contributing to global warming. By creating disingenuous solutions to combat greenwashing, companies are distracting from the actual issue of climate change and global warming. Companies may argue they are “green,” yet continue to emit carbon and methane, two greenhouse gasses, into the atmosphere. These gasses then lead to a plethora of environmental consequences, including warming surface temperatures, rising oceans, storms, droughts, and loss of species.
Along with environmental impact, there are many effects of greenwashing on the economy. Awareness of climate change and deceptively-marketed environmentally-friendly products deters shoppers from interacting with certain brands, thus decreasing the companies’ profits. Consumers lose trust in companies and “about one-third of consumers worldwide today are prepared to pay up to 25% more for more sustainable products.” On the other hand, companies have to pay a significant amount in lawsuits if they are found to be greenwashing. For example, Keurig was sued in 2019 for falsely claiming their coffee pods were biodegradable. In the government's desire for brands to start switching to eco-friendly alternatives, they are laying out incentives. The European Union has passed legislation in efforts to decrease greenwashing by ensuring claims of sustainability are vetted. Incentives, such as green bonds and equity funds, are also methods by which governments can attempt to mitigate the issue. Green bonds are debt instruments that fund environmentally friendly projects and can supply advantageous tax credits.
Greenwashing is a serious problem that faces our society today. It is crucial to maintain awareness of this issue and support companies who work towards a sustainable planet. We must refrain from consuming items from companies that continue to hurt the environment. By holding these companies accountable, they are encouraged to improve their practices, thus progressing our planet towards a better environmental future.
