By ESG Analyst Isabelle Côté
Are fashion companies truthful in their evaluations of ESG, or are they simply greenwashing customers to believe they are more sustainable than they are? Greenwashing seems to be the latest trend sported by the fashion industry, as more companies are using sustainability to swoon consumers with nothing to back their claims. Identifying greenwashing in various sectors and spotting untrue sustainability claims is essential. In the fashion industry, more manufacturers and brands have been established in the last few years, contributing to the phenomenon known as fast fashion.
What is Greenwashing?
Greenwashing has become increasingly common as companies work towards proving they are sustainable and can meet sustainability criteria. However, companies often may not be as truthful as they portray themselves, and sometimes, this cannot be easy to identify. The concept of greenwashing portrays a false impression or possibly lies about how environmentally friendly and eco-conscious a company, and its goods genuinely are. Sometimes, a company that is greenwashing its consumers can be identified by their over-emphasis on how eco-conscious they are, when it might be done to hide their involvement in practices damaging our environment. Aa common example is everyday products labeled to promote being more natural or free of chemicals in comparison to other brands; this allows consumers to believe that the product is better for the environment and takes their attention away from any harm the company may be involved in. Another example that is most seen is a product labeled “50% more recycled content than before”; however, the amount of recycled content can be minimal, portraying the product as made with much more recycled content than it is.
Environmental Impacts of fast fashion
Fast fashion can be described as companies manufacturing goods, in this case clothing, at a high rate and low costs. In recent years, studies have shown significant differences in the amount of clothing people own today and 100 years ago; economic times are different, and it makes sense as our economies change and grow. However, the effects of fast fashion have been seen since the early 2000s. People started trending away from handmade clothing, made locally or in their country, to a takeover of industrialization, leading to the low-cost fashion we are familiar with. An issue with industrialization and low-cost products is the decrease in quality and materials used; many clothing items are made of polyester, a synthetic material made from plastic. Producing plastic harms our environment, and the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global CO2 emissions. Issues arise with polyester materials, given that they are made of plastic; they shed microplastics into our water systems, causing harm to our environment and our oceans. With the trend in cheap clothing, people have tended to buy more and wear their items less frequently due to abundant clothing. It is common for damaged clothing to end up in a landfill rather than being fixed because it is poorly made and not worth saving. Manufacturing plants are located all over, and it is common for online orders to be placed and clothing to be shipped to your doorstep, leading to increased emissions from transit. Producing many products, along with their shipping, leads to excessive shipping and production, increasing harmful environmental impacts.
To know that your products are genuinely eco-conscious, be aware of the Oeko-Tex and Fair-Trade Standard. Products go through many steps to receive the certification approved under these standards. It can help consumers understand how environmentally friendly our textile products are.
References
- CFDA. “Materials Index.” CFDA, cfda.com/resources/materials/detail/polyester.
- Flanagan, Molly. “Fast Fashion.” UPenn EII, environment.upenn.edu/events-insights/news/fast-fashion#:~:text=By%20Molly%20Flanagan,Environmental%20Programme.
- Hayes, Adam. “Greenwashing: Definition, How It Works, Examples, and Statistics.” Investopedia, Investopedia, www.investopedia.com/terms/g/greenwashing.asp.
- Singh, Shantanu. “Greenwashing in the Fashion Industry.” Carbon Trail, 12 Sept. 2024, carbontrail.net/blog/greenwashing-in-the-fashion-industry/.
- Wang, Evelyn. “How Fast Fashion Became Faster – and Worse for the Earth.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 22 June 2022, www.nytimes.com/2022/06/22/learning/how-fast-fashion-became-faster-and-worse-for-the-earth.html.
- “The Environmental Costs of Fast Fashion.” David Suzuki Foundation, 29 Nov. 2023, davidsuzuki.org/living-green/the-environmental-cost-of-fast-fashion.