How to keep track when everyone is greenwashing?

With the current climate crisis and the constant thrive to be more sustainable, brands are using a new vocabulary:

“Green. Sustainable. Environmentally Concious. Recycled. Renewable. Eco-friendly.”

These are just some of the buzzwords that are commonly used by a lot of fashion labels. However, how do you know which ones really depict sustainable practices, and which are just plain greenwashing and luring you into buying a product, that sounds sustainable, but certainly is not?

One thing to look out for is how many pieces a brand declares as “sustainable”, “recycled”, “environmentally friendly”. If it only concentrates on one pieces or one certain product group, the brand most likely greenwashes its products and does not really follow sustainable values.

Next are the materials. As there are a lot of new materials and new techniques emerging, one can get easily confused. Plus, oftentimes, a material like “recycled” polyester sounds sustainable at first. However, after some more research, it becomes quite clear that especially recycled polyester is not sustainable at all. Particularly for recycled polyester, one needs a high percentage of virgin polyester for the stability of the thread.

When it comes to materials, natural fibres that are not mixed are key, since they are recyclable. Most natural fibres are biodegradable, so keep that in mind whenever you see that a product is advertised as “biodegradable”. Organic cotton is better than conventional cotton for sure, but it still needs a lot of water within its production process. Therefore “new” cellulose fibres like Tencel or Lyocell are preferable.

And last but not least, seals and certificates are very helpful. There are a couple of certificates for the production standards and materials, for example B-Corp or GOTS.