What is greenwashing and how can we be sure to avoid it?

Greenwashing is a dangerous tactic.

Today I stumbled upon a shop with a name that aroused my curiosity.  Unsubscribed. Intriguing. What exactly were they unsubscribing from? I entered cautiously.  The second the door closed behind me the sales woman came at me hard, which any of my friends will tell you is not the way to my pocket book.  She led with  “We’re a slow fashion, sustainable clothing brand,” instead of bolting  I paused.  Those are the words any conscientious shopper wants to hear.   After all, if the clothes were as ethical as they were pretty, I might have stumbled across something I could feel good about purchasing.  Now one thing she failed to mention was that this brand was owned by American Eagle.  The same fast fashion giant churning out cheap denim by the truckload.  My dilemma...  Did that fact negate the positives of this brand, or should I look at it as American Eagle taking a step in the right direction?

For consumers who care about the planet, shopping has never been more complicated.

Deciding what’s truly sustainable is a maze of mixed signals and marketing claims.

There was a time in my life when shopping was pure entertainment.  I loved the thrill of a sale, the rush of snagging a deal, or the satisfaction of being the first to discover something new. But somewhere along the way, that thrill began to fade. What once felt lighthearted now feels heavy. Instead of excitement, shopping often brings on a mix of guilt, shame, and even a touch of fear.  There is the guilt over buying what I don’t truly need, the shame at falling for marketing tactics I know better than to believe, and the fear of the environmental and human cost hidden behind the price tag. 

What is fast fashion?

For me, the shift began about 20 years ago when I met eco-activist Livia Firth. Her passion for sustainability and her determination to challenge the fast fashion industry made a lasting impression on me. Full disclosure, initially I had no idea what she was going on about.  I was a young mother and wife without unlimited resources.  Price was ALWAYS the deciding factor.  This idea of fast fashion and eco friendliness all seemed a bit irrelevant for me at least, and maybe more of a consideration for the rich and famous.   

Fast fashion is a business model that produces cheap, trendy clothing rapidly to meet consumer demand for the latest styles at low prices. This approach encourages the purchase of many inexpensive garments, leading to frequent discarding of clothes and contributing to a "throwaway culture". Fast fashion has significant negative social and environmental consequences, including high carbon emissions, pollution from synthetic materials, and exploitative labor conditions for garment workers

Over the years as our friendship developed so did my understanding of the impact of mindless consumerism on our planet, specifically in regards to fast fashion. From launching the Green Carpet Challenge, and championing the #30Wears movement, to co-producing  The True Cost (YOU MUST WATCH THIS), there is no chance of missing her message.   What had once felt like harmless fun suddenly carried weight and consequence.

Fast fashion is quickly destroying our planet

Why is Greenwashing so dangerous

I know I’m not alone. Consumers are looking for products that are more respectful of the environment. This has not gone unnoticed by corporations.  Instead of fundamentally changing how they produce though, many brands have simply changed how they market. They’ve realized it’s easier (and cheaper) to sound sustainable than to actually be sustainable. They know consumers want to buy sustainable, so they are more than happy to sell us the story without the substance.  This is referred to as Greenwashing.  It is a tactic that according to the United Nations, misleads the public to “believe that a company or other entity is doing more to protect the environment than it is,” all while promoting false, distracting solutions to the climate crisis.  Greenwashing sows confusion and distracts from genuinely sustainable efforts.   

Companies are playing on our desire to do better. They are perfecting convoluted and dishonest messages to ease our shopping hesitancy.   We want to believe we are choosing the more eco friendly option so seeing these words and claims on the products makes us feel better when we buy them regardless of the fact they are meaningless.

Common Product claims that have no actual meaning

Here are some claims to question, as they have no standard, agreed upon definition, and are misused without legal recourse. They mean nothing.

Eco Friendly

Natural

Non-toxic

Green

Sustainable

Biodegradable

Certified

Pure

Earth Friendly

RECYCLABLE

Cruelty free

Shopping is no longer a harmless hobby.

How can we avoid greenwashing?

Look for certifications that actually do mean something:

TRANSPARENCY IN TEXTILE PRODUCTION

GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) This covers the entire supply chain from harvesting of materials to environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing.

CONCERN FOR THE INDIVIDUAL MAKING MY CLOTHES

Fair Trade Certified   It is globally recognized and independently verified and takes into consideration labor rights and fair wages.

A COMPANY THAT BALANCES PROFIT WITH SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL PURPOSE

Certified B corporation certifies companies and corporations and is the only certification that measures both social performance and environmental practices.

NO TOXINS IN MY BEAUTY PRODUCTS PLEASE

Made safe identifies personal care and beauty products that have passed ingredient screenings for known behavioral toxins, carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, high-risk pesticides and more.

NO TOXINS IN MY TEXTILES PLEASE

Oeko-Tex. To attain the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification, the fabric has to be tested and certified to be free from more than 100 substances known to harm human health. These include substances such as banned azo dyes, formaldehyde, pentachlorophenol, cadmium, nickel, lead, and numerous other harmful chemicals.

The best way to avoid greenwashing

One of the easiest ways to dodge greenwashing? Stop shopping aimlessly. Buy only what you actually need. And if you do need things, figure out which brands deserve your dollars before you step foot in the mall. Once you’re there, all those shiny objects and slick marketing lines will cloud your judgment. Shein, H&M, Zara and their fast-fashion friends don’t give a shite about the planet or the people making your clothes, but somehow, they continue to thrive.  When the price tag of something seems to good to be true I assure you someone or something somewhere is paying the real price.

The truth is, we can’t shop our way into sustainability, especially not through brands that rely on smoke, mirrors, and marketing spin. For the most part we all already have way more than we need and we need to slow our shopping roll. Greenwashing works only if we let it. The more we pause, question, and resist the urge to buy every “eco-friendly” label we see, the harder it becomes for companies to get away with empty promises. Real change starts with us: choosing less, demanding proof, and supporting the rare brands that back their words with action. Until then, every “sustainable” tag in a fast-fashion shop window is just another shiny object designed to keep us fooled and keep us spending.