You're in a committed relationship with your food compost bin, feel naked without your reusable water bottle and even phased out fish after watching Seaspiracy. But what about your wardrobe? Because unlike a packet of cod loins which comes with a blue sticker saying 'Certified Sustainable Seafood MSC', meaning the fishery 'has been independently assessed on its impacts to wild fish populations and the ecosystems they're part of', a clothing label doesn't necessarily make it easy for consumers to know whether the garment it's attached to is sustainably made. In fact, since any brand can use words like 'sustainable', 'ethical', 'responsible' and 'eco' without being held to any kind of industry standard, unlike cotton that's certified by the Better Cotton Initiative, a brand's product information can often mislead to the point of being considered greenwashing.
What Does Greenwashing Mean?
Greenwashing is essentially a type of marketing spin that makes a product seem more planet-friendly than it actually is. According to Greenpeace, 'Greenwashing aims to boost a company’s public image or make more sales by convincing us that buying from them aligns with our values.'
It's a widespread practice that is incredible unhelpful, as well as harmful, because it means that people who want to make good choices when it comes to clothing are essentially being hoodwinked. Instead of buying from a brand that is proactively trying to protect the planet and its people, shoppers are simply bolstering its bottom line as it continues to act in a way that's environmentally damaging and unethical - all while thinking they're doing the opposite.
The bottom line is that you really have to read the fine print. And that onus, unfortunately, falls on us as consumers. When Grazia spoke to Amy Powney, creative director of Mother of Pearl, before the release of her documentary Fashion Reimagined, she emphasised that, without specific legislation like you have within the food industry, doing due diligence is essential. 'You need to empower yourself with knowledge ,' she said, adding that a simple way to gauge whether a brand takes sustainability seriously is by looking at its Instagram. 'See how often that brand is talking about it,' she advised. 'If you’ve got one sweeping statement that’s a bit flaky then you probably know it is not what they do.'
So if you're up to the challenge, what should you be watching out for to ensure you're not falling prey to greenwashing?
What Does Greenwashing Look Like?
Greenwashing takes many forms but, on the most basic level, generally tends to be words like 'green', 'sustainable', 'ethical' and 'eco' being used to describe a product's credentials without any evidence being presented as to how it is ticking those boxes. Here are some specific claims to be mindful of when you see them on websites or in shops:
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'Recycled'. A lot of brands use recycled materials but a garment could contain a very low percentage of, say, recycled polyester, while giving the impression that no new materials were used in the making of said garment. The Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) and the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) do set criteria for third-party certification so look out for those acronyms in a product's composition description.
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'Carbon neutral'. Being 'carbon neutral' means that a brand offsets however much carbon dioxide it releases into the atmosphere. While this sounds promising, and is better than doing nothing at all, it essentially means that a brand can make no changes to the amount of pollution it's causing, but post about reforesting on its Instagram. What's more environmentally-friendly by far is a business that is 'carbon negative', like Sheep Inc, which means it doesn't just break even - its offsetting actually exceeds its emissions so that it's doing more good than bad.
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'Traceable'. For a garment to be 100% traceable, it means that its maker needs to be able to account for every single link in its supply chain. Amy Powney tries to do exactly that in Fashion Reimagined, directed by Becky Hutner, and to say it's almost impossible is no understatement. The industry simply isn't set up to be held accountable. 'You think you know about supply chains and sustainable fashion but you watch that and realise you don’t,' said Amy. She did, however, succeed in making a fully sustainable collection from farm to finished product, No Frills, which is now called Core. When you click on each product, you can see a comprehensive breakdown of its sustainable attributes, including the fact that it's organic, made of natural fibres and traced from fabric to final.
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'Circular'. You often see the word 'circular' used with phrases like 'closed loop', but these can only really be applied when a material can be absorbed back into the system by making it into something else. While buying something second-hand is better than buying new in most cases, it can't be called circular. It's helping a garment to keep circulating as opposed to ending up in landfill, but that's something quite different.
What Labels Can You Trust?
Certain materials have a degree of regulation thanks to organisations like the Better Cotton Initiative, which is the world's leading sustainability initiative for cotton, which means that brands can't use their logos or labels unless they actually conform to the standards they're setting. Keep an eye out for:
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Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) / Global Recycled Standard (GRS): As already mentioned, these set the criteria for third-party certification of recycled materials and chain of custody thereby increasing transparency and assurance for recycled fibres.
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PETA-Approved Vegan: A lot of brands bandy around the word 'vegan' to describe their faux-leather, but to be 100% sure that something is animal-free, always look for the 'PETA-Approved Vegan' logo.
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TENCEL™ Lyocell: This is a man-made material produced from sustainably sourced wood by environmentally responsible processes.
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B-Corp: A B-Corp organisation means that it satisfies certain criteria (i.e. it's a business that, 'is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials).
What Else Can Consumers Do To Avoid Greenwashing?
Honestly, it's hard, but the best way to avoid greenwashing is to not buy anything at all or, at least, severely reduce how much you let into your wardrobe in the first place. That sounds stringent, but like deciding to eliminate single-use plastic or only eat meat three times a week instead of every day, what is really required is a shift in mindset that changes your behaviour in the long-term. Think about...
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Borrowing outfits from friends for all the weddings you have this year - or wearing something you already have.
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Getting garments repaired or altered that you would otherwise wear were it not for the fact that the zip is broken etc. (Check out Sojo, a brilliant door-to-door alteration service in the UK.)
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Asking yourself, if musing over a prospective purchase, whether you have at least five outfits in your existing wardrobe that you could wear it with. You don't want to buy something only to have to buy three other things to wear it with, now, do you?
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Moving away from the mindset whereby something expensive means something sustainable. If you look at Fashion Revolution's Transparency Index, which ranks the world’s largest fashion brands and retailers according to what information they disclose about their social and environmental policies, practices and impacts, in their operations and supply chain, you'll soon see that a lot of big luxury brands are among the worst scorers when it comes to transparency. If you can only afford high street, make sure you're buying with longevity in mind. Just because something is affordable, doesn't mean it shouldn't be treasured and repaired so that it lasts. The bottom line? Nothing is disposable.