GREENWASHING In Fashion – What It Is & How To Avoid It?

What Is Greenwashing?

Today more fashion enthusiasts and brands are taking note of the phenomenon of greenwashing. In fashion, greenwashing is known as promoting a brand’s environmental efforts despite the lack of sustainable business practices to supplement these efforts. It is easy to make sweeping claims that show that a brand is aligned and committed to the cause of sustainability. However, deeper looks by consumers, activists, and journalists show a massive disconnect between surface-level environmental efforts and business practices.

How PR Can Avoid Greenwashing?

As PR agencies, we have a responsibility to ensure that our efforts do not contribute to the growing problem of greenwashing and its lasting effects on the environment. We must rethink how we communicate the sustainability efforts of the brands we collaborate with. Here are a few tips from a Dubai PR Agency on how to avoid greenwashing while positioning a sustainable fashion brand:

• Ensure all claims are verified – It can seem tempting to include sustainable buzzwords in press content and while pitching. However, it is best to be mindful of the claims being made and ensure that they are verifiable. This can be in the form of relevant certifications by credible authorities or including credible facts and statistics to support each claim.
• Highlight Offerings that go beyond Sustainability – Overly emphasizing a brand’s sustainable efforts makes it more susceptible to greenwashing, especially for fashion brands. It can be beneficial to highlight their fashion offerings and how the product is not only a stylish investment, but also a sustainable one.
• Work towards maximising Sustainable Efforts – Having a strategy that involves continuously maximising sustainability across the supply chain can reduce the chances of greenwashing. Setting realistic goals, striving continuously to adopt better practices, and communicating these goals and progress via a strategy that is centered around honesty and integrity is the way to go.

CONSCIOUS FASHION SUCCESS STORY – ETIKA JEWELS

POP Communications has worked with numerous brands that are committed to changing the fashion industry to one that is greener and more mindful of our planet. A prominent example of this is the online jewellery brand Etika Jewels. With a tailor-made PR strategy, POP Communications worked with the brand to cement Etika Jewels as both a sustainable and fashion-forward brand. Pieces from Etika Jewels were featured in top-tier fashion publications, such as Savoir Flair, Emirates Woman, Cosmopolitan ME, Vogue Arabia, and L’officiel Arabia, while industry and sustainability insights from founder Basma Chaieri were featured in prominent publications like Fast Company Middle East. Additionally, Etika Jewels also strive continuously to improve sustainability efforts, most recently by partnering up with California-based diamond manufacturer The Diamond Foundry, to offer carbon-neutral diamonds.

To Sum Up

Greenwashing within the fashion industry is a huge problem that can massively impact our crusade against climate change. In such a scenario, it is important to incorporate environment-friendly business practices and communicate the same with honesty and integrity at the forefront. Today consumers are more aware of the impact of their purchases and would opt for an item that takes the planet into consideration.