🎧 What is GREENWASHING, and how can you spot it?

Greenwashing is the process of conveying a false impression or providing misleading information about how a company’s products are more environmentally sound. Greenwashing is considered an unsubstantiated claim to deceive consumers into believing that a company’s products are environmentally friendly.

Basically, greenwashing is using PR or marketing tactics, or event just strategic messaging, To make it sound as if an organization’s products, aims and policies are environmentally friendly when they actually aren’t.

The problem with greenwashing is that it is a marketing tool used to drive profit, rather than to take environmental responsibility.

The phrase “greenwashing” topped headlines in August 2021 when environmental activist, Greta Thunberg, called out the fashion industry for partaking in the phenomenon. As the first to be on the cover of Vogue Scandinavia, Thunberg used to speak up against it. In a social media post that accompanied her cover announcement, Thunberg stated:

“Many are making it look as if the fashion industry are starting to take responsibility, by spending fantasy amounts on campaigns where they portray themselves as ‘sustainable’, ‘ethical’, ‘green’, ‘climate neutral’ and ‘fair’” she wrote, “But let’s be clear: This is almost never anything but pure greenwashing. You cannot mass produce fashion or consume ‘sustainably’ as the world is shaped today. That is one of the many reasons why we will need a system change.”

The problem with “sustainability”

The challenge with words like “ethical” and “sustainable” is that they are quite subjective, and there’s no standards to which they can be held against and compared to in order to determine just how sustainable or ethical they are. Like what does that even mean? If you saw a bottle of “sustainable” detergent. What standards would you expect that product to meet? Chances are, if you asked someone else they’d give you a completely different response.

Often, the option that you might think is more sustainable, often isn’t universally the most sustainable option. You might think that biodegradable packaging is better than recyclable, but if the waste is only going to end up in landfill without the proper conditions it needs to break down, it likely won’t break down anytime soon. So, recyclable packaging that can be reused might be a better choice.

Similarly, you might think that a natural plant or animal-based fibre like cotton is better for the environment than a synthetic fabric. Natural fibers usually have a smaller environmental impact than synthetic fibers because natural fibers do not use as many chemicals during the production process, but some natural fibers are less eco-friendly than others because some plants require more water. Similarly, some synthetic fibres are very durable, can make stain-resistant or waterproof clothing, which might be a better option for a higher quality clothing item that will last many seasons.

This is why it’s important to always remember that there is no “one size fits all” approach to sustainability.

How to spot greenwashing

Be wary of buzzwords:

Terms like “organic, ethical, eco-friendly, natural, cruelty-free, or green” are often used, and while these words might be an accurate way of describing something, they are quite elusive and they make something sound “greener” than it actually is.

“Natural” is a very vague term that could mean anything, like it doesn’t contain artificial ingredients or harsh chemicals— but the “natural” products in contain could be unsustainable or unsustainably sourced. You could have a “natural” t shirt that is made from really unsustainably sourced cotton.

“Cruelty-free” means that the product didn’t go through animal testing at any point in the supply chain, but that doesn’t mean it Doesn’t contain animal products, or toxic products, or micro-plastics, etc.

When you see terms like this, do your research to see whether they have provided more information, if they do not, they are likely greenwashing.

Research the company/brand:

A quick search on a brand’s website should tell you exactly what they mean if they are using any of these terms, and you should be able to find details of their suppliers, or where their materials are sourced. Transparency about who their partners are and how they do things is a good thing, even if they aren’t ideal— most of the time, secrecy or hiding the truth from your consumers indicates that they are probably not doing the right thing.

While some products and services will be advertised as, or actually be environmentally conscious, the company that owns it might not be— if you’re buying a vegan leather belt from a jeans manufacturer that actively pollutes rivers, or purchasing chocolate with recyclable packaging from a company that also sells single-use plastic water bottles, that money is still going to the same company.

Look for verification: If a company is indeed doing as it claims, it will often have some kind of verification or a certification from an approved auditing organisation— Certified Fair Trade, Certified B Corp, Certified organic, Biodegradable or Recyclable. These are all great starting points, but again, it’s important that you don’t just accept these at surface level. Look at the whole product or brand, and see how else they’re trying to do the right thing.

It’s not as simple as it sounds

As a consumer, it probably sounds simple right— can’t brands just make changes. And while they should, it’s not as simple as it sounds.

For a cleaning company to switch their bottles to a biodegradable plant-based plastic, they need to run tests and make sure that the product will last as long, in the same temperature conditions, and not get damaged during transport, as the current materials. Current contracts with suppliers would need to end, and new contracts with partners need to be drafted and agreed upon. Labels would need to be redesigned. This stuff can take time, and be resource intensive.

I want to acknowledge from first-hand experience just how hard it is to run a sustainable and ethical business. When we started Changemaker Co., our Upcycled & Slow Fashion Brand to fund the work we do here at the Humanitarian Changemakers Network, it was challenging to enter a market where there are always existing policie and processes that dictate what is considered “business as usual.” And again, because there’s no ‘one size fits all” approach to sustainability, it’s often an iterative process that involves making changes and doing the best the best you can with what you’ve got.

For example, before we started Changemaker Co. we pre-launched Our range of definition tees on the Humanitarian Changemakers Network website, and I was really keen to make sure these shirts were on organic cotton tees. So we did that, but then we found that the only suppliers that could offer us organic cotton were all based in Europe, and because most of our audience and market are based in Australia, the transport miles involved in sending those items here, plus the fact that the supplier didn’t offer biodegradable packaging and only offered plastic, just didn’t sit well with us.

So instead, we partnered with an Australia based printer, who uses water-based inks, and while their shirts aren’t organic, they use brands like AS Colour, which are very transparent about their sustainability Policy & Practices, stating “we are committed to eliminating single use plastics, and plastic in general, from our supply chain…” and on top of this, they ship from Brisbane and in completely biodegradable packaging, which drastically reduces transport miles and eliminates unnecessary plastic.

Shirts like these are printed to order, meaning the finished product doesn’t exist until an order is placed, and then it’s printed just for the customer. This slow to approach to fashion is obviously far better than creating a bulk of stock and having to push those products out, risking a surplus of unsold stock and unnecessary waste.

However, it’s still not perfect, and we would like to eventually transition to offering all of our designs on upcycled second hand tees, which we already have a small collection of. But again, this is a time and resource-intensive process that we can quite afford yet, but as we grow and scale, we hope to transition to being a fully upcycled brand. Sustainability certainly isn’t simple for businesses and organisations, and especially ones that are far more established and have higher standards and levels of accountability than what we have, change often has a slow and iterative process to ensure things are done correctly.

How do we change things?

It’s important to remember that like with any type of social change, the responsibility isn’t solely on individuals, although as citizens and consumers we do have a role to play.

As a consumer, you can vote with your dollar— purchase products that align with your values. You don’t have to stop purchasing things altogether, but choose to support brands that are doing the right thing, if you are in a position to do so. In capitalism, supply and demand is a powerful thing, and if there is more demand for sustainable products, supply chains will follow.

Of course, you’re also a citizen, and you have the power to tell brands and leaders what you want to see from them. Write letters, leave customer feedback or testimonials, comment on their social media— these might seem like small actions on their own, but brands actually want to please their consumers (that’s how they make money,) so they do value your opinion.