Real Sustainability Efforts vs. Marketing Illusions

As a global community, we are connected to environmental issues now more than ever. More individuals are educating themselves on these matters- whether its air pollution, fast-fashion, or global warming. With this newfound understanding comes the concept of green marketing; an after-effect of human’s negative impact on the planet, green marketing attempts to label brands with terms like “eco-friendly”, “recyclable”, and “sustainable”. Now queue the environmentally conscious consumer, on the hunt for these “green” products.

Photograph: Melodie Jeng/ Getty Images

Photograph: Melodie Jeng/ Getty Images


Specifically, with fast-fashion, there comes the idea of “greenwashing”, where companies champion their real sustainability efforts, even though these are often just believable marketing illusions. In 2019, H&M launched a “sustainable” fashion line called “Conscious”, and this campaign claimed to use recycled polyester and “organic” cotton. A “green” long sleeve shirt from this line, for example, is made from “100% cotton”; these market-friendly words are implemented to draw in the consumer in lieu of the fact that this garment took 20,000 liters of water to produce. This dirty truth is deliberately hidden by shelled marketing tactics! 

H&M Conscious Collection 2019: Dress For a Sustainable Fashion Future/ YouTube

H&M Conscious Collection 2019: Dress For a Sustainable Fashion Future/ YouTube


Greenwashing bleeds across the industry, and we see examples of these empty promises at Reformation as well. Marketing themselves as the second most sustainable choice (being naked as the first), Reformation prides itself on putting the environment first. While their use of environmentally friendly fabrics and their effort to champion social responsibility are appealing, Reformation might not be as sustainable as they claim to be. The ‘Refscale’, featured under the sustainability tab of their website, informs the consumer on how much CO2, waste, and water they have saved in shopping at Reformation. But how much was actually used to make this item of clothing? Further, a majority of Reformation’s clothing items are “dry-clean only”- a process that uses perchloroethylene (perc) which is a solvent that is toxic to humans. In the end, if you’re going to buy a $300 dollar dress, the least you could do is save eight pounds of CO2, right? 

Photograph: Anouska Parr

Photograph: Anouska Parr


Flashy advertising and greenwashing techniques can be hard to spot at first glance. Here are some quick tips to combat marketing illusions:

  1. Look at the numbers! Companies might say they are “sustainable” and “eco-friendly”, but what percentage of their materials are recycled?

  2. Don’t immediately jump at the word “vegan”. Although your concern about animal welfare is important, what is the environmental cost to this solution?

  3. Shop resale if you can! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, thrifting combats the “buy it and toss it” agenda of fast fashion, and it leaves you with pieces that have a unique history. It’s a win-win!

Riley Kubaska

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