By Isabella Picillo
Sustainability is one of the most prominent trends in designer fashion, trumping statement-making trousers and voluminous dresses season after season. Although sustainability in fashion has been a conversation for decades, it gained momentum towards the end of the 20th century when fashion became cheaper and more accessible, largely due to globalized manufacturing. In the 1990s, several companies, such as Nike, were exposed for their environmentally harmful practices, which gave rise to “eco-fashion.” Yet the start of sustainable fashion as we know it today began in the early 2010s. Consumer sensitivity, particularly to forced labor, combined with ecological concern as the conditions of fast fashion workers became apparent, such as in the 2013 Dhaka garment factory collapse.
Today, we have witnessed many designer brands, self-proclaimed “activist companies,'' and B Corporations debut environmentally-friendly designs to affirm their commitment to improving sustainability. Both the media and the general public are paying close attention to the fast fashion segment considering their large contribution to environmental degradation. As environmentally conscious consumers demand accountability, fast fashion companies, like Zara and H&M, have responded by announcing their commitment to addressing climate change and becoming more sustainable. However, the significance of these corporate promises remain unclear. Many experts have expressed concern regarding corporations’ attempts to “greenwash” consumers and misrepresent the extent of a company’s sustainability.
The fashion industry has long tolerated environmental harm as inherent to the production process, but self-proclaimed “activist companies'' and B corporations have led a movement to dispel this tolerance. For instance, outdoor clothing company Patagonia was recognized for its sustainability and social responsibility efforts in every facet of its business. In this season alone, 64% of its fabrics were made with recycled materials, and all of its electricity needs in the U.S. were met with renewable electricity. It is also concurrently working toward its long-term objectives: becoming carbon neutral across its entire business by 2025 and eventually becoming a true zero-waste company.
Designer brands have also touted their commitment to becoming environmentally friendly, most notably during the 2019 September fashion month. It started in New York when Gabriela Hearts unveiled the first carbon-neutral fashion show, featuring upcycle prints from previous collections. Two days later, Gucci announced that its show would also be carbon-neutral. Today, fashion giants have turned sustainability into a competition, as we continue to see more brands announce their commitments. This is not necessarily negative, as long as companies are taking meaningful steps toward reducing climate change.
There is pressure on the fashion industry to reduce its environmental impact. McKinsey estimated that the fashion industry as a whole is responsible for 4% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, while the United Nations reports that it accounts for 20% of global wastewater.
The fast-fashion segment, in particular, is notorious for its alarming environmental toll and its history of exploiting workers. Fast-fashion companies are no exception in trying to attract environmentally conscious consumers. In fact, they may face even more pressure to deliver on their sustainability initiatives since Gen Z consumers prioritize sustainability more than previous generations.
Meanwhile, the volume of clothing Americans throw away has doubled over the past 20 years. Two decades ago, Zara was considered revolutionary for offering hundreds of new items each season, but now that level of output is hardly exceptional. Companies are turning out new styles faster than ever before, with Boohoo turning out new styles within a few days. Consumers are partially responsible for this increased waste. Each year, Americans each generate about 75 pounds of textile waste, a staggering increase of more than 750% since 1960.
In response, many fast fashion companies have introduced sustainable collections. For example, Zara introduced its Join Life collection, which features several styles made from sustainable materials, such as recycled wool, sustainable Tencel, and organic cotton. Similarly, Boohoo sells around 40 items made from partially recycled textiles, while H&M increased its use of organic cotton and sustainably sourced materials. Yet fashion sustainability consultant Aja Barber considers these efforts to make a few items more sustainable little more than greenwashing since the vast majority of items continue to be produced unsustainably.
The United States has anti-greenwashing policies, but they are rarely enforced. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued Green Guides, first issued in 1992, which are designed to help marketers avoid making environmental claims that mislead consumers. These guides are not agency rules nor regulations. However, the FTC can take enforcement action under the Federal Trade Commission Act. The FTC did not file any complaints regarding environmental claims during George W. Bush’s presidency but filed several during Barack Obama's presidency. Enforcement of the Green Guides often depends largely on the current administration’s outlook toward sustainability.
European countries tend to be more stringent with regulation and enforcement. In August 2019, the Norwegian Consumer Authority censured H&M for greenwashing with its Conscious Collection, made from waste and advertised as a collection with environmental benefits. The Norwegian Consumer Authority said the company has potentially “misleading” marketing ploys and provided “insufficient” information about the sustainability of the collection. The Consumer Authority’s investigation found that H&M’s sustainability claims in its Conscious Collection breached Norweigan marketing law, which condemns marketing if it deceives consumers of the nature of a product and induces “an economic decision that would not otherwise have made.” Unsurprisingly, greenwashing is quite common. Often, fast fashion companies’ claims about sustainably sourced garments are vague, failing to specify the actual environmental benefits. The nonexistent industry standards for what “sustainably sourced” means exacerbates the issue.
Generally, both consumers and experts struggle to discern the legitimacy of companies’ sustainability policies, plans, and projects, as the companies do not release the outcomes of such efforts. Some experts advise consumers to take fast-fashion companies’ announcements with a grain of salt. For instance, Elizabeth L. Cline, the author of two books on the impact of fast fashion, believes that fast fashion and sustainability are inherently incompatible. Some experts have further argued that beyond more ethically sourced materials or materials with a lower environmental impact, the fast fashion business model, based on quick turnover of style, must undergo a fundamental overhaul. Likely, fast fashion will never be an entirely sustainable business, but companies should still be encouraged to adopt more sustainable practices and be appraised when they do so.
Both designer brands and B Corporations can greenwash consumers too. However, B Corporations are less likely to misrepresent the extent of their sustainability because their certification requires proof of social sustainability and that the firms meet environmental performance and accountability standards. These companies must recertify every three years to retain B Corporation status, serving as an accountability measure for companies to remain transparent about their efforts.
While greenwashing has been a decades-long problem across industries besides fashion, the frequency of greenwashing has increased over recent years to appease increasingly environmentally conscious and socially responsible consumers. Still, not all companies are deceiving consumers. Yet for those deceitful companies, they should spend less time and money trying to cover up where their clothes come from and instead use those resources to focus on how they can reduce their environmental impact.