Shopping sustainably is becoming more important every year, and consumers are following suit. Luckily, many fashion brands are taking real steps toward sustainability by sharing details of ethical sourcing and transparency on their websites. But with every eco-friendly trend or change in fashion, there are going to be brands that resort to greenwashing.
TikTok creator Jade (@modamensch) warned their followers about greenwashing red flags to look out for before they click "add to cart." In their latest post, Jade said: "If you ever see a company claiming to be a sustainable and ethical fashion brand and they do not disclose the fabric composition in the item descriptions of the garments they are selling online, they have something to hide from you."
@modamensch a very popular TikTok "sustainable and ethical fashion brand" is utilizing pretty obvious forms of greenwashing to launder their reputation - watch out for these red flags! #greenwashing #fashion #fashiontok #fashiontiktok #sustainablefashion #redflags #consciousconsumer #environmentalist #slowfashion sustainable fashion, greenwashing#CapCut ♬ original sound - Jade ✡︎ Sustainable Fashion 🪬
It is legally required to disclose the fabric composition for every item produced — you will see these notes on the inside tags — but not all companies will list it on the website. While this does not mean that any of these companies are hiding anything on purpose, it is certainly a green flag to be transparent.
Jade also wrote: "Polyester has its place in fashion, but it's not inherently better or more sustainable than natural fibers. Often [companies] are trying to sell you polyester over natural fibers."
One commenter showed her agreement by responding: "[The fact] that natural fibers will decompose instead of being perpetual trash is part of the point! So much fashion trash is shipped off to other countries and [it] pollutes their waters. Plus, we have so many extant antique garments from centuries ago; clearly natural fibers can survive. We also just need to be mindful of how we clean, repair, and maintain garments (when possible)."
Another commenter showed their appreciation, saying: "The greenwashing playlist has been so enlightening to me. I have learned a lot. Thank you for doing all of this."
In the U.S. alone, 11.3 million tons of textile waste are discarded every year, per Earth.org. If you can see through the greenwashing, you can make a difference in that brand's popularity.
When in doubt, you can always shop sustainably by shopping secondhand. You are more likely to find clothes that are made from natural fibers and can last you for years to come.
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