Chasing Green: What is 'greenwashing' and how to sleuth it out like a pro!

By our lovely intern Alexia Antoniadis

‘Greenwashing’. It’s not what we play golf on; and it definitely is not when we accidentally throw a green shirt in the wash with our whites and they turn green.

Coined by an environmentalist named Jay Westervelt, who we accredit for the boundless pun potential afforded to us while writing this piece; the term, ’Greenwashing’, is when a business is more concerned with marketing themselves as sustainable than they are with actually being sustainable. 

Remember when 2012 was ‘the future’? Well it’s 2021 for crying out loud, and people are more aware than ever before when it comes to the decisions they make. The google search term ‘veganism’ has increased by 580 per cent over the last five years and the global ethical fashion market has grown at a rate of 8.7% since 2015. In a study conducted by the Business Research Company in 2020, around 66% of respondents said that they consider sustainability when purchasing a luxury product. According to Lyst, there has been “a 37% increase in searches for sustainability-related keywords, with the average monthly searches increasing from 27,000 in 2019 to over 32,000 year to date”

LIVEKINDLY reports that “Nearly half of fast fashion retailers have seen a decrease in sales this year”. 

Marketing teams are scrambling faster than a pair of eggs on a Sunday morning to piece together as many campaigns as possible to make themselves seem as sustainable as possible, capitalising on the trend and thereby maximising profit. 

So how to spot a greenwasher? We thought you’d never ask.

If a label offers only a specific range or collection of items which claim to be sustainably produced, while at the same time generating profit from other items which are not produced sustainably, we recommend you start asking them questions to better determine what their values are as a brand. It is important to note here however that the most telling sign of a company that employs greenwashing tactics is a lack of transparency. Not every brand has the capacity to be 100% ethical and sustainable right off the bat, and that’s okay. It takes a lot of time, effort and may even result in some loss of profit, to transform a production line from start to finish. A company who is honest about this, and discloses which parts of their production are sustainable and which ones aren’t, is one you can trust. 

Another thing to watch out for is the claim that items are made from recycled materials. 

The problem with this one is that, unless the brand offers comprehensive proof of these claims, such as statistics or photos, there is really no way at all of telling what percentage of the material is in fact, recycled. 

Watch out for brands who make grandiose statements claiming to be “saving the planet”, as most genuinely sustainable brands do not take every opportunity to tell you how they are saving the planet, instead they show you. 

Words like ‘eco-safe’ or ‘sustainable’ are currently not defined by law, which is great for fashion labels because it means they can market themselves silly!

You can also have a look out for whether or not a brand’s claims are backed by certifications, like Fair Trade. If you are looking to play it safe and make sure your money is going towards supporting a label who is the real deal when it comes to all-round sustainability; look for brands who aren’t hopping on a trend, but have been sustainable from the beginning, are conscious of, and strive for environmental and social sustainability in every aspect of their production from start to finish.