This week will be a little different, a lovely classmate asked me what to look for when a brand is claiming to be sustainable but is a fast fashion brand. This technique is called Greenwashing; it’s a technique used to make consumers believe a brand is sustainable and eco-friendly but is, in fact, not. This article from Good on You explains greenwashing well and gives you examples of fast fashion brands that have used (or still use) greenwashing techniques. Here is also a video from YouTube that explains the phenomenon of greenwashing and whether sustainable fashion is a myth or not, I don’t believe it is, and you’d know that because of the brands I’ve been sharing with you but it gives a lot to consider in regards to how you shop. 

Now you might be asking “Kimiko, isn’t showing sustainable brands enough?” and with that, I say NO! I think it’s important to equip people with the proper tools to be able to navigate the fashion realm as a consumer. Corporations love to take advantage of people to get them to overconsume. I know I’ve already given you some questions to consider when it comes to being more intentional about buying your clothes on a previous blog post (you can refer to it here). I want to give you some tips to recognize when a brand is greenwashing vs when you’re dealing with a real sustainable brand that cares about the quality and care of their clothing.  I use a few tricks to help me decide if a brand is sustainable or not, and guess what? I’m going to share them with you today!

The questions I ask are broken into 5 aspects of a fashion brand: sourcing materials, manufacturing processes, supply chain transparency, environmental impact, and certifications and standards the brand holds. Here are some examples I’m sharing of questions I’ve asked brands in the past:

Sourcing Materials:
“Can you provide details about the materials used in your clothing line? Are they sustainably sourced, and do you prioritize environmentally friendly options?”

Manufacturing Processes:
“How do you ensure ethical and fair labor practices in your manufacturing processes? Can you share information about the working conditions of the individuals involved in the production of your clothing?”

Supply Chain Transparency:
“To what extent do you disclose information about your supply chain? Are you transparent about the different stages of production and the suppliers you work with?”

Environmental Impact:
“What measures do you take to minimize the environmental impact of your fashion brand, such as reducing water usage, energy consumption, and waste generation?”

Certifications and Standards:
“Do you adhere to any specific sustainability certifications or ethical standards in the fashion industry? How do you ensure that your products meet or exceed these standards?”

I can usually answer these questions myself by looking at the brand’s site. Most sustainable fashion brands have NO PROBLEM showing you all the nuts and bolts of how they operate. I can usually find most of my answers on their “About Us”, “Our Fabrics”, or “Sustainability”. If you can find the answers to these questions on the brand’s site, then that’s a good sign but if you can’t seem to find the answers to these questions on the brand’s website… it’s a strong indicator that the brand isn’t sustainable. Here’s a REAL response I got from a brand that I didn’t choose to work with because their brand didn’t seem as sustainable as they preached:

“Our brand is also trying to explore the development of ECO-FRIENDLY & SUSTAINABLE, some of our products are made of environmentally friendly and organic raw materials, such as organic cotton, recycled wool, environmentally friendly Tencel, etc., but there is still a long way to go, it’s just the beginning.
Made in Guangzhou, China
Some of our products are produced and designed in our factory, some are produced by our foundry, and some are supplied by our suppliers.

We also do what we can to donate clothes to the homeless and needy women at [insert organization here]”

If you want to test yourself or practice looking for sustainable markers you can use the example I provided of what a sustainable brand does NOT look like. Until next time friends!

– Kimiko