The environmental claims of fast fashion brands are nothing more than a facade. The carbon footprint of the industry is huge, and the amount of textile waste produced is staggering. Fast fashion brands rely on unsustainable practices to keep up with demand, and this is having devastating consequences for the planet.
Since the birth of fast fashion, the industry has been riddled with environmental claims and unsustainability. The most common problems associated with fast fashion are its carbon footprint, textile waste, and unsustainable practices, which begs the question: Is fast fashion sustainable? Or are companies just exploiting certain phrases to appear more environmentally friendly than they truly are?
Reasons Why Fast Fashion is not Environmentally Friendly
One of the main reasons why fast fashion cannot be sustainable is because of the environmental claims that fast fashion brands make. A fashion brand might claim that its products have a low carbon footprint, but in reality, the production of fast fashion is incredibly carbon-intensive. Fast fashion also produces a lot of textile waste, which is often difficult to recycle. And lastly, the practices of fast fashion brands are often unsustainable – for example, sourcing materials from unethical factories or using excessive amounts of water in production.
Environmental Impact
In response to growing concerns about the environmental impact of the fashion industry, some companies have started to make sustainability claims. For example, H&M has pledged to become “fully circular and sustainable” by 2030. But it’s unclear how these companies can be truly sustainable when their production processes are so harmful to the environment.
Pollutes Water Reservoirs
The textile industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world. it takes over 8000 different synthetic chemicals to produce a single T-shirt. The main source of water pollution in the clothing production process is the “wet-processing” stage. After cotton has been spun and woven into the fabric, it is wet-processed, in which the fabric is dyed, printed, and finished. Not only is this process water-intensive, but it also pollutes water.
One of the major chemical culprits used in clothing manufacturing is a chemical dye. It’s estimated that around 20% of all global water pollution comes from the dyeing of textiles. Microfibers and plastic pollution from synthetic fabrics are also major sources of water pollution. When clothes are washed, these fibers can escape into the water supply and end up in our oceans.
Contributes to Landfill Waste
The fast fashion industry is particularly harmful to the environment because it relies on disposable clothes. On average, an American wears clothes only seven times. this is partly because fast fashion encourages consumers to buy more clothes and to keep up with the latest trends, which often leads to clothes being discarded when they are no longer fashionable.
Additionally, fast fashion brands often use synthetic materials which are difficult to recycle. It’s either donated, discarded, or stored in our closets indefinitely. This creates a lot of waste. It’s estimated that Americans send 11.3 million tons of clothing per year to landfills, where it takes years for them to decompose.
Produces Carbon Emissions
The carbon footprint of fast fashion is also a major concern. The production of synthetic fabrics such as polyester emits greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.
Labor Exploitation
Fast fashion brands have been criticized for their unethical practices, which often result in labor exploitation. For example, companies have been known to use child labor, and produce clothes in sweatshops. These factories often have poor working conditions and low pay, which can lead to health and safety issues.
Many garment workers are paid meager wages and are forced to work in unsafe conditions. In some cases, they are even coerced into working overtime without pay. These workers often suffer from physical and emotional abuse.
Unfortunately, these unethical practices are often overlooked by consumers. This is because fashion brands often use greenwashing claims to mislead consumers into thinking that their products are environmentally friendly. For example, a company might claim that their clothing is made from organic cotton when in reality the cotton was grown using harmful pesticides and fertilizers.
As a result of these misleading claims, fashion brands can continue to exploit garment workers in developing countries without consequence. This is because consumers are more likely to buy products from brands that appear environmentally friendly. As long as fast fashion brands can convince consumers that they are sustainable, they will be able to continue their unethical practices without any backlash.
Trend Cycle
The fast fashion industry is notorious for its unsustainable practices. The high demand for new fashion and the need to keep up with current trends often leads to overproduction and excessive waste.
Fast fashion brands produce new clothing styles at an alarming rate, often using cheaper and less environmentally friendly materials. Additionally, these brands heavily discount their clothing to keep consumers coming back for more.
Bangladesh’s mass garment production often cultivates too many units and defective items. Since quality control is strict for export garments, the extra or damaged clothing is typically dumped into neighboring countries like Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka. Also, worth noting is that a significant portion gets disposed of because recycling such garments may be more costly than discarding them.
Additionally, some fast fashion brands are guilty of promoting a “fast” or “throwaway” culture, which encourages people to buy more clothes than they need and to discard them when they are no longer fashionable.
Demand and Supply Mismanagement
The fast fashion industry can never be sustainable due to high volume and demand. Fast fashion brands produce large quantities of clothing in short periods, which often leads to excess inventory and unsustainable practices. The fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world, and it’s only getting worse.
Greenwashing examples of Fashion Brands Who Made False Environmental Claims
The environmental claims of fast fashion brands are often misleading. For example, the carbon footprint of a T-shirt can be reduced by up to 86% if it is made from organic cotton rather than conventionally grown cotton. However, only 1% of all cotton is organic. The main problem is that the demand for fast fashion is so high that even sustainable practices cannot keep up.
Zara
A Spanish fast fashion retailer founded in 1975. The company has over 6,000 stores worldwide and produces roughly 840 million garments every year. To keep up with the high demand for new clothing, Zara drops over 24 new collections every year.
Zara has been called out for greenwashing or making false claims about its sustainability efforts. The company has said it will use 100 percent renewable energy to run its internal operations by 2030 but has not detailed how it will reduce and offset emissions from its supply chains.
Zara’s “commitment to sustainability” is nothing more than political posturing to improve its public image. notwithstanding grave concerns over their impact on the environment, Zara continues to incorporate/”greenwashing” measures into their PR strategy with dodgy statements of commitment to limited usage of sustainable practices and recycled materials in product development. However, fast fashion created through the mass production of weak clothing made from synthetic fibers and polyester sets a trend for other companies to follow. As a result, this creates mountains of CO2 emissions endangering our atmosphere and landfills overflowing with pollution.
In addition, Zara has been criticized for not publishing the results of its audits – making it difficult to evaluate the impact of its sustainability goals. This lack of transparency has led some people to accuse Zara of making false claims about its sustainability.
H&M
H&M, the world’s second-largest fashion retailer, has been using greenwashing to mislead customers and promote its sustainability image. The company has been making vague and unsubstantiated claims about its environmental practices while continuing to produce large amounts of waste and use harmful chemicals in its products. In addition, H&M has been found to have emissions that exceed industry standards and use a high amount of plastic packaging.
One of H&M’s most recent greenwashing campaigns was its “Conscious Exclusive” collection.
The line consisted of evening gowns, suits, and other pieces made from sustainable materials such as organic cotton, recycled polyester, and Tencel (a regenerated cellulose fiber). To promote the line, H&M released a promotional video in which it claimed that the Conscious Exclusive collection “has a minimal carbon footprint”.
However, an investigation found that this was not the case. The newspaper discovered that H&M’s use of recycled polyester resulted in greater emissions than if the company had used virgin polyester. Furthermore, while Tencel is a more environmentally friendly fiber than cotton or polyester, it still requires large amounts of water and energy to produce.
H&M also frequently uses greenwashing to promote its use of organic cotton. The company has claimed that it is “the world’s second-largest buyer of certified organic cotton”. However, this claim is meaningless because organic cotton only represents a tiny fraction of their total cotton consumption. Less than 1% of all the cotton H&M uses is organic.
H&M is facing accusations of child labor and factory conditions that are unsafe for workers. The WRC found that workers making H&M garments in factories in Bangladesh were doing so in dangerous conditions, and girls as young as 14 were working 12-hour days in two factories outside Rangoon. H&M has responded to these accusations by claiming that they are committed to sustainable and ethical production, and use the term “greenwashing” to mislead customers into thinking their clothes are made more sustainably.
H&M also frequently uses a great deal of plastic packaging for its clothing items. For example, an average adult H&M outfit comes with around 11 plastic items. This excessive use of plastic harms the environment and contributes to ocean pollution.
H&M’s use of greenwashing and misleading environmental claims is a cynical attempt to deceive customers into thinking that the company is environmentally friendly. However, consumers should be aware of these practices and avoid buying clothes from H&M until it reforms its ways
Nike
Nike has been criticized in the past for its use of greenwashing, which is the act of misleading customers into thinking that a company is more environmentally friendly than it is. In the case of Nike, this has often taken the form of promoting its products as being sustainable or environmentally friendly, when in reality the company’s manufacturing processes are not always as eco-friendly as they claim.
This was most prominently seen in Nike’s “Move to Zero” campaign, which was pegged specifically to Climate Week and revolved around the idea that “if there is no planet, there is no sport”. While the campaign may have had good intentions, many critics argue that it was little more than a PR stunt designed to distract from Nike’s past scandals related to sweatshops in developing countries.
How to Avoid Greenwashing Brands
When buying fashion, it is important to be mindful of the environmental impact that the purchase makes. This is especially true when it comes to so-called “eco-friendly” or “green” fashion brands, as these labels can be used to cover up environmentally harmful practices. Here are a few tips on how to avoid greenwashing in the fashion industry:
- Do your research. Look into the company and its manufacturing processes. Are they certified by any reputable organizations? What do their practices look like in comparison to other brands in the same category?
- Look for transparency. A responsible company will be happy to share information about its products and how they were made. If a brand is unwilling or unable to provide this information, it’s best to steer clear.
- Consider the standards. There are a few certification standards that are particularly relevant when it comes to eco-friendly fashion, such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). When possible, try to buy clothes that have been certified under one of these programs.
- Beware of deceptive claims. Many brands use vague terms like “eco-friendly” and “sustainable” without backing them up with facts. Be sure to ask questions and get as much information as possible before making a purchase.
- Shop secondhand whenever possible. Buying pre-owned clothes are not only good for your wallet, but it also reduces the amount of waste produced by the fashion industry overall. There are now many online platforms and brick-and-mortar stores that specialize in selling secondhand clothing, so there’s no excuse not to give it a try!
Final Thoughts
With everything being said, it does hold true that there are several companies in the UK, US, and Australia that offer sustainable fashion options. The US has been at the top of this trend with some of the most eco-friendly clothing brands in the world. With consumers gaining more knowledge about the misleading techniques used by larger brands, they’ll surely be able to find the “true” eco-friendly sustainable clothing brands to be a refreshing change and would be able to buy with absolute confidence that their choice is contributing to a better environment.