The fashion industry is no stranger to accusations of greenwashing. Elaborate reports on Corporate Social Responsibilty suggest that people, planet & profit are in perfect harmony in the everyday business practices of Nike, Puma, H&M and C&A (to name but a few of the brands that go to considerable lengths to explain their sustainable ambitions). At the same time, ngo’s and media regularly report on illegal dumping of chemical substances, child labour and other not very sustainable practices in clothing factories producing for those very same brands.
It seems that the chances of fashion companies engaging in greenwashing are getting bigger every day, now that green fashion is ever more en vogue. While it’s business as usual in the design and production departments, the marketing offices are doing overtime to build a green image and to attract a new group of (environmentally aware) consumers.
The good news is that we can do some green washing ourselves – with immediate positive effects on the environmental friendliness of our wardrobes. A study by Dutch research bureau CE Delft on environmental effects of clothing and textiles suggests that two phases in the lifecycle of a clothing item have the biggest (negative) impact: the production of raw fibers (especially cotton and wool) and consumers’ laundry habits. No less than 32 percent of the effects of clothing on issues such as fossil depletion and climate change result from the way we wash and dry our clothes.
So no matter how unfashionable it may sound, truly green consumers would not only need to think about the sustainability of their clothing purchases. They would also need to consider washing less frequently, washing at low temperatures and ban the tumble dryer. Now that’s what I’d call green washing.
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