The environmentally conscious consumer searches for “green” products. It’s a sentiment growing within the clothing industry after being a niche market for decades. At the same time, for college students, it can be hard to choose an environmentally friendly piece of clothing while on a budget.

The constant conflict between quality, trendiness and environmental impact has led to a new business trend in the fashion industry. “Greenwashing” refers to fashion companies claiming that their products are environmentally friendly, when often they are not.

Examples of greenwashing from companies today include the fast-fashion brands Uniqlo, H&M, and Lululemon — which are popular with college students.

According to Investopedia, H&M alone “has almost 4,000 stores worldwide and has plans for 7,000-8,000 more stores in the future.” This scale of growth is not unique for fast-fashion brands as Uniqlo reports similar types of growth. This growth shows how profitable and easy it is to make inexpensive pieces of clothing.

At the same time, the growth comes at great expense that negatively affects the environment. According to the fashion nonprofit ReMake, 80% of discarded textiles globally are incinerated or landfill-bound, with just 20% being reused or recycled.

The production of the clothing that much of the Syracuse University community and the rest of the nation wears is hidden from the eye behind the marketing of a company.

Why do companies market themselves as ‘green’? Companies do better when they make the consumer feel better about their purchase. Companies that have a real positive impact on the environment are more than happy to share their progress in their marketing. It helps build their character in the consumer’s eyes.

Patagonia, which has a history of activism and executing sustainable environmental initiatives, has become a staple in many college students’ wardrobe. Patagonia gained consumer trust through environmental activism. Their website demonstrates that their claims of environmentalism are backed up by action.

Fast-fashion brands notice the competitive edge sustainable companies have over others. Yet a lot of people are not into the type of outdoors based clothing from Patagonia and similar brands. Robert Wilson, an associate professor of geography at SU, describes these brands as focusing on niche markets.

In 2019, H&M launched its own line of “green” clothing titled “Conscious.” The company claims to use “organic” cotton and recycled polyester. However, at quick glance, the line is nothing but a shelled marketing tactic used to make themselves appear more environmentally friendly. When looking at H&M’s “Conscious” line, its mission states: “Shop our selection of sustainable fashion pieces that make you both look and feel good.”

Despite this, there is not a single legal definition for marketing-friendly words such as “sustainable,” “green,” or “environmentally-friendly.”

A men’s “green” long sleeve shirt from H&M is made of “100% organic cotton.” How can something that, on average, takes about 20,000 liters of water to produce be sustainable? The simple answer is because companies are legally able to get away with blatant misrepresentation.

The Federal Trade Commission provides loose guidelines for greenwashing. Companies cannot be misleading in their claims. Other industries have consumer protection laws instead of guidelines. How can a guideline be concrete and clear to determine whether a company’s marketing tactics are misleading or not?

The very fact that much of the “green” marketing is based on loose definitions allows for an interpretation of what the company actually means. Thus, consumers are left to determine on their own what company stands for their values. This is where it gets dirty.

In a college setting, students on a budget must choose clothing that has the least impact on their wallet, not the environment. When it comes to choosing a stylish $549 jacket from Patagonia, or a cheap $59.99 Puffer Jacket from H&M, the choice is simple.

Consumers shop because it feels good, and when the dirty truth is kept secret and even deliberately hidden in the cases of greenwashing, there is little an environmentalist can do to change consumer spending habits other than expose the truth.

As consumers, the voice each individual has can impact the very companies committing the pollution. In response to this, consumers must be more aware of the ethics of what they buy for fashion as the sustainability of society depends on it.

Harrison Vogt is a freshman environment sustainability policy and communication and rhetorical studies dual major. His column appears bi-weekly. He can be reached at hevogt@syr.edu. He can be followed on Twitter at @VogtHarrison

Published on March 3, 2020 at 9:42 pm