New EU laws have been in the works for some time but now, greenwashing in fashion should be far easier to avoid. Saying we’re relieved is an understatement. Greenwashing in fashion is something everyone who wears clothes (or shoes… or carries a bag…) should be aware of.
Fashion is one of the world’s most polluting industries and the damage brand new garms are causing to the earth is substantial. There are brands working towards truly sustainable practises and production methods, but the way the biggest labels balance out their negative impact? Up 'til now, it's been through a hefty dose of greenwashing…
As the EU is starting to implement their Green Claims directive, brands indulging in greenwashing, false claims and unsubstantiated sustainability ‘benefits’ could face hefty fines.
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What is greenwashing in fashion?
Greenwashing is when a brand makes statements that imply they are creating something sustainable, eco-friendly or green, without proper support of these claims - and when the rest of their business is anything but.
Philippa Grogan, Sustainability Consultant at Eco-Age - a communications agency in sustainable business explains, “Greenwashing is when companies deploy incomplete, inaccurate, or misleading sustainability claims to make their products and practices appear more responsible than they actually are.”
Producing a garment often involves 30 steps - or more - and brands that greenwash grab hold of one considered element (say, using organic cotton or a tiny percentage of recycled polyester) then make a fuss about its eco-credentials - while the rest of the chain involves seriously unsustainable methods.
Greenwashing has been most obvious in fast fashion brands (although it's not limited to the high street) who created ‘sustainable’ collections, while still focusing on a business model of overproduction, exploitation of garment workers and polluting methods of production in other areas of their business (or even within the same garment.)
Another red flag for greenwashing is when brands describe a standard design feature as ‘sustainable.’ For example, some manufacturers use heavy metals in the leather tanning process, but flagging a material as having ‘chrome-free tanning’ makes it seem like a special, green feature, when it’s actually also a basic method of production.
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How will the EU Greenwashing Law affect the UK?
According to sustainable influencer Kate Caric, “the new green claims law makes sure that companies have scientific methods to substantiate their environmental claims. This law helps consumers looking to buy more earth friendly fashion because there has to be solid evidence to back up the claim for a brand to make it. There is also a new EU Ecolabel which is supposed to help consumers identify verifiable eco-claims, which will help take out some of the guesswork that consumers currently have when shopping sustainably.”
So, you’ll notice less items on sale advertised with ‘green’ and ‘environmentally friendly’ descriptions and tags. These have been decreed as misleading and deceiving to consumers. Likewise ‘eco-labels’ and own brand seals that don’t have scientific proof will be removed.
