The world has been facing a lot of issues recently due to global warming. One of the biggest contributors to global waste is fast fashion due to the materials used. Furthermore, around 92 million tons of waste are dumped in landfills by the fashion industry.
Additionally, about 35% of that is microplastic pollution which is what fast fashion brands produce. So what brands are making changes to ensure their brand is becoming more environmentally friendly and what they are doing about it?
Greenwashing
Greenwashing is a publicity stunt that companies will do to promote their product in a way that is not necessarily true. It is a PR stunt to paint a false image of their business.
There have been several billion-pound businesses that have been exposed for their greenwashing. One of those businesses is Volkswagen which openly admitted to cheating emission tests. They did this by developing a product that would detect when it was going through an emissions test and then automatically alter the performance for it to pass the emissions test. Volkswagen was doing this all while promoting how eco-friendly their vehicles are in advertising campaigns.
Another company is Nestle, and they stated that they would like their packaging to be 100% recyclable or reusable by 2025. However, despite releasing that statement in 2018, many environmental friendly organisations called out the food company, simply because they don’t have a plan for the next several years. Whilst all this was going on, an annual report was released that stated Nestle was one of the world’s top plastic polluters in 2020.
So what fast fashion brands have been caught greenwashing? Several brands have claimed they are or aim to be more sustainable. It is a way for them to get good press and promote their products. Some of these brands are H&M, Zara and Uniqlo which have been recently caught greenwashing.
One of those brands is H&M, which launched a green clothing line called conscious. They claimed that the company they used for their garments were organic cotton as well as recycled polyester. It then came under criticism by the Norwegian Customer Authority for using insufficient information about its clothing line.
What Fashion Brands Are Sustainable?
Believe it or not, there are hundreds of fashion brands out there which are sustainable. However, it is something that we do not hear much about. One of those reasons is down to the fact that they are on the more expensive side. It is one of the reasons why there are many fast-fashion brands which are not sustainable. A good example of a brand like this is Levi’s which uses more sustainable fabrics for its clothing and has claimed to be sustainable for many years now.
This year, Elle released an article showcasing 80 sustainable clothing brands that you may not know. Furthermore, it is easy to fall into the trap of greenwashing. If you want to ensure that a brand is sustainable, read about them on goodonyou.eco to see what their verdict is about the brand.
One of the brands that are well known for the sustainable denim clothing that they produce is DL1961. There are a lot of processes that go into the development of clothing. They maintain their carbon footprint by controlling every aspect of that process. It is something that many fashion brands are doing to achieve their sustainability goal, although it comes at a cost which is why you should expect to pay more for these brands.
Summary
Fashion brands being more sustainable is one of the hottest topics in the world right now. A lot of businesses are announcing new ways to become more sustainable however, fashion brands don’t seem to have a plan.
For example, many brands in women’s fashion & clothing have stayed very quiet in this along with men’s fashion brands. It is something that is an issue within the fashion industry. If you are ever unsure of a clothing brand, do your research. Many websites will explore these brands to find whether or not they are sustainable and eco-friendly.