Yuddha Maharaj

You've probably heard about the terms brainwashing, whitewashing or even stonewashing, which essentially means making something seem as if it has certain positive qualities when in fact it may not be true (Macmillan Dictionary). The same goes for the fast fashion industry and what we call greenwashing.

What is greenwashing? Greenwashing is a form of marketing that conveys a false or deceptive impression and rather provide misleading information on how a company's products are eco friendly, environmentally friendly, or ethically and sustainably made. Folks, there is a lot of greenwashing happening all across the board in all industries. But let's just focus on the fast fashion industry, shall we...

When brands catch sight of a new "trend" or become aware of its current cultural change or shift, of course it's only smart of them to follow suit for business purposes. The issue here is how they go about it and the misleading false promises or advertisement of products and/or the entire business being green, when in reality it is only for show and a gimmick. All we really want as both consumers and humans of the Earth is to see businesses take responsibility, be transparent in their business model and actually care for the planet and its people. There are many elements in how a fashion brand greenwashes and we're going to break it down.

'GREEN' BUZZWORDS

You may have heard the terms eco-friendly, environmentally friendly, sustainable, zero waste, or even the word green. Although these terms do hold value, they are also buzzwords and have fallen prey to marketing schemes. In regard to fast fashion brands, we may learn of recycling programs, sustainable lines, or even their commitment to sustainable practices within their business, which all sound amazing on the outside, but when you get to researching and looking more into their business model and how the rest of their brand operates, it leaves you feeling misled. 

The usage of these terminologies is meant to get your attention and make you believe their brand cares enough to make these changes. And that is exactly what it does, because the more you look into their practices and how these terms translate within their brand, you will most likely be backed up with no evidence, other than their words. And we all know words only hold so much truth and value.

Take for example, H&M's Sustainability commitment and their use of 'sustainable choices' and 'conscious points'. Apparently, if you make sustainable choices by purchasing a conscious item, you then get conscious points. What that ultimately means is they want you to continue to purchase from them and only then will you get points to...do whatever those points get you. The points are not the issue, the issue is the promotion of consumption--consumption that warrants a fast supply and demand business model with new styles coming out ever so frequent, in a business with high profit margins at that. So tell me, is that really a sustainable choice? No. I didn't think so. 

There are many many many more examples of how fashion brands use these terms to look like they care and as if they are taking responsibility, but it's all surface level baby. 

SUSTAINABLE CLOTHING LINES

Have you ever come across a fast fashion brands website and they have a sustainable line? How awesome is that, right? We love to see sustainable clothing in a fast fashion brand (says absolutely no one). Let's just put this to rest here: having a sustainable clothing line does not mean the brand is sustainable, nor is it a business to support. 

I know there are folks who see a sustainable clothing line as a good thing as it indicates the brand is acknowledging its importance and significance and are making changes, and I get that it's a great start. But there is really no value or merit in a brand if only a quarter or less than that of their clothing and supply chain is 'sustainable' or more ethically and sustainably made. What happens to the rest of it?

Having a separate curated sustainable and eco-friendly line is merely singling out the smallest portion of their brand in hopes of engaging customers who care about these practices, and what that does is increase their profit. You cannot have a sustainable clothing line that still operates on a quick, rapid, disposable linear business model--that just doesn't work. 

In addition to that, many fashion brands have adopted sustainable and eco-friendly product tags, which imply the brand is taking action in sourcing their clothing in a more sustainable and ethical manner.

SUSTAINABLE TAGS INITIATIVES

Take for example, Zara's eco-friendly and sustainable collection within the 'Join Life' initiative, as well as their participation in the Closing the Loop campaign. If you browse their website and check out specific garments, you may see the following under Contents, Care, and Origin: 

Join Life

Care for water: produced using less water

We use the Join Life label for items that have been produced using technologies and raw materials that help us reduce the environmental impact of our products.

Now, if you have a browse at other clothing items on their website, you may find something like this:

FAIR WAGES & LABOUR CONDITIONS

And since we're speaking of people over profit, have we stopped to think about who is making these sustainably and ethically made clothing, how much are they getting paid and are they working in safe and healthy conditions? Does anything change from the clothing that aren't sustainably made?

As we mentioned above, the supply chain is still continuing to work in the same way it has always been, just with better materials here and there, sprinkled in with a promise and commitment or two about paying their workers a living wage and in a safe working environment.

One thing to keep in mind when coming across a sustainable clothing line is the prices. Most of us know that when items are sustainably made, it usually means the prices are higher because of the costs of sourcing the material, the production and of course, paying the individuals who make them. So if you happen to see an item that is lower in price, or just as low in comparison to non-sustainable items, then that should be a red flag (Good On You). Most often that that, it means somewhere in the supply chain, someone is not getting paid fairly or being paid a living wage and corners are being cut to get these items to be cheaper or more affordable for the average consumer. (You may be thinking, if this is the case, what can I do to make more conscious choices and decisions whilst still being able to afford clothing. I will be going into that in another post with things we CAN do, don't worry!)

And unless they have proof of ethical working and labour standards, adorning their website with 'We work with our suppliers, workers, unions, and international organizations to develop a supply chain in which human rights are respected and promoted, contributing to the United Nations Objectives of Sustainable Development', means nothing.

HOW TO SPOT GREENWASHING

This may not be an easy venture, but once you figure out what makes something truly sustainable and ethical in its practices, it'll become easier to navigate. Here are a few things to look out for that I have gathered from research:

1. Green Buzzwords

2. Sustainability/Eco-conscious lines/collections (not the entirety of their brand)

3. Lack of Transparency; doesn't explain in specific the natural materials used and does not show facts and numbers

4. Misleading Labels: A brand using something like "Green product" or "Guaranteed Ethical", doesn't mean it is legitimate and it is most likely designed by themselves with no verification from third parties.

5. Packaging does not reflect their "sustainable commitments" (often times, not always)

6. Push emails filled with discounts and sales for their sustainability line

CONCLUSION

There is always so much more to the bigger picture than we think and once we realize these indications of what makes a fashion brand unsustainable and unethical, we realize it is all greenwashing after all. And what a shitty feeling to feel!

The best thing a brand can do is to encourage to buy less and repair their clothing, but are they really going to compromise their profit margins? Absolutely not. Which is why (this will be the first and definitely not the last time I will say this here), fast fashion will never be sustainable. The name says it all.

"To become ethical and sustainable, brands need to do the hard work of rethinking their whole business model, slowing down their production, and stop putting massive pressure on people and the environment" (Good On You). We simply cannot have fashion brands use sustainability as an add-on, rather a core value that is embedded within the entirety of their business model. And in order to do that, the entire system needs transforming and radicalizing and which prioritizes...you guessed it, people and planet, in the entire system.

SOURCES USED

Down to Earth https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/environment/the-deception-of-greenwashing-in-fast-fashion-75557

Good On You: How Ethical is Zara https://goodonyou.eco/how-ethical-is-zara/

Good On You: What You Need to Know About Fast Fashion Brands' 'Eco' Collections https://goodonyou.eco/fast-fashion-eco-collections/

Conscious Life & Style: How to Tell if a Fast Fashion Brand is Green -- Or Just Greenwashing https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/how-to-identify-greenwashing/

I am choosing not to link both Zara's and H&M's website because I do not want to give them more site traffic nor encourage anyone to shop there. If you are interested in looking for more information based on the examples I have provided in this post, please feel free to do so!

GARMENT WORKERS

The biggest impacts the fast fashion industry has in regard to people is on the garment workers; factory workers whom are hand making our clothing in unsafe, unjust and unethical conditions. There are garment workers all over the world and majority of brands hire factories from the Global South to manufacture clothes from places such as China, Bangladesh, Indonesia and India where they have the lowest labour standards, and thus purposefully lower the wages of garment workers in order to lower the overall costs of the supply chain, and ultimately provide clothing at super low prices to consumers (Ethical Consumer, 2021). It's great that fast fashion is essentially accessible for all, but at what cost? If items tend to be cheaper to begin with, sans sales and coupons, there is almost most definitely a human cost.

The fast fashion industry exploits workers whom majority are from overseas, in order to maximize their profits. As I've mentioned in the first post of this series (I will always either be referring back to multiple posts or most definitely repeating myself because it is nearly impossible not to with how complex and intersectional the topic is. Also, if I want this information and facts to really sink into your brain, it's going to be have to repeated numerous times), the main goal of these fashion brands is to maximize their profit margins (Definition: the amount by which revenue from sales exceeds costs in a business), and the only feasible way they can do that is to lower their costs by any means necessary. They prioritize profit over people.

According to Global 16 Days Campaign, there are 60-70 million garment workers worldwide and 75% are women (Global 16 Days Campaign). The women who work in these factories are often exposed to abuse and sexual harassment, discrimination and other forms of violence, nonetheless working in conditions that are unsafe with zero benefits and social protection. Garment workers work in factories with no ventilation, breathing in toxic substances, which results in the deterioration of their health from long hours of inhaling fumes from textile production. (Sustain Your Style).

85% of garment workers do not make a living wage (Definition: a wage that is high enough to maintain a normal standard of living) (Garment Worker Centre), which is different from a minimum wage, in that a minimum wage is the lowest wage permitted by law, which means one can still maintain a standard living. Garment workers are known to get paid a "piece rate", which means they get paid 2-6 cents per piece of garment. They also work extremely long hours (60-70 hours) a week and do not get paid overtime, taking home about $300 (Garment Worker Centre).

One recent event occurred during the pandemic in March 2020 when brands had to close all stores and cancel massive orders due to the global lockdown, resulting in the decision to not pay for the clothing that was ordered from factories, and thus factory workers not being paid and many losing their jobs (Consumed, 2021). Typically, these brands purposefully outsource manufacturing for the low cost, but due to the unregulated legal bindings, they also choose to only pay when the clothing get shipped to the destination, not when they are hired to make the clothing. The factory workers end up being in deeper debt because not only do they pay for the materials to make the clothing, but now they cannot pay their workers or any other logistics due to this theft. 

This issue resulted in the #PAYUP campaign started by Remake (a non-profit working at the intersections of labour rights, climate justice and fashion activism), which demanded brands pay their workers (the factory workers are considered their workers too because they hire them to make their clothing...isn't that common sense? Clearly not to fashion brands who treat them as if they're not their employees too), alongside other intersecting issues such as; 

• Keep workers safe
• Show transparency
• Give workers centre stage
• Sign enforceable contracts
• End starvation wages
• Help pass laws

THE FACTS:

• Ethiopian garment workers earn a base wage of $26 a month. The minimum monthly living wage in Ethiopia is about $110 (Remake)
• 14 to 16 hours per day is the average working day in most manufacturing countries (Sustain Your Style)
• 50 workers have died and another 5000 are sick due to blasted sand inhalation in denim factories in Turkey (Sustain Your Style)
• Garment workers must work until 2 or 3 am during peak season to meet deadlines imposed by fashion brands (Sustain Your Style)

              Blue Ocean Network