In my last post, I introduced the dangers of greenwashing. Following up, let’s look into some specific examples of how greenwashing is used in the fashion and beauty industries.
Like many other lines of products, many fashion and beauty brands have been promoting sustainability initiatives which may mislead us that their products are environmentally friendly. In a report by Changing Market Foundation, it is highlighted that 59% of the claims by European and UK fashion brands are simply a marketing gimmick.
Similarly, popular climate activist Greta Thunberg has also vocalized her concern regarding the fashion industry. She states in her interview with Guardian that “Many are making it look as if the fashion industry is starting to take responsibility, by spending fantasy amounts on campaigns where they portray themselves as ‘sustainable’, ‘ethical’, ‘green’, ‘climate neutral’ and ‘fair’. But let’s be clear: This is almost never anything but pure greenwashing.”
(Source: http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20211021000816)
Tying into my case study of SHEIN (here), we can see how green advertising is an important play for the company to cushion the impacts on their brand image due to an unsustainable practices, that of which were exposed by various sources such as Good On You.
SHEIN advertised that they have appointed leaders to monitor the environmental, social and governance aspects of their practices, this is also commonly known as an ESG officer. While this may sound promising at first glance, Good On You shows that this is simply a ploy by SHEIN to portray itself as ‘concerned’ with sustainability. In actual fact, no substantial changes were made to its production methods. Instead, this ultra fast fashion company has grown since then, contributing to ever more environmental damage.
Similarly, we see these techniques being applied across many beauty brands, such as The Body Shop, Johnson’s Natural and St. Ives, for example.
Final Takeaway
Through these examples, I hope I have instilled sufficient paranoia into you as consumers. The next time we look into a product, it is probably advisable to look beyond its green labels and do more research into the brand you are supporting. Yes, the process is tedious, but let’s do our part to ensure that our actions have the least environmental consequence possible! If you need more advice on how to spot products with greenwashing, do check out this source here for a comprehensive list of telltale signs!
References
Changing Markets Foundation. (2022, March). License to Greenwash: How certification schemes and voluntary initiatives are fuelling fossil fashion. Retrieved from https://changingmarkets.org/portfolio/fossil-fashion/.
Elan, P. (2021, August 10). Greta Thunberg: ethical fast fashion is ‘pure greenwashing’. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2021/aug/10/greta-thunberg-ethical-fast-fashion-greenwashing.
Morosini, D. (2019, April 22). How To Spot (And Avoid) Greenwashing In Beauty, Vogue. Retrieved from https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/how-to-spot-and-avoid-greenwashing-in-beauty.
Rauturier, S. (2022, January 21). Greenwashing Examples: 8 Notorious Fast Fashion Claims and Campaigns. Good On You. Retrieved from https://goodonyou.eco/greenwashing-examples/.