HOW TO AVOID GREENWASHING
Following on from our blog post last week on How to Spot Greenwashing we are now going to look at how to avoid greenwashing, or in other words, how to spot an ethical and sustainable brand. Unfortunately, there are no global regulations or standards that enforce businesses to act in an ethical way, so it is up to us as consumers to do our research before purchasing a product, to ensure it aligns with our values.
Here are KEEPER Denim’s top 5 ways to spot an ethical and sustainable brand:
-
TRANSPARENCY
Check out the company’s website and see if they incorporate sustainability in all stages of their supply chain. Remember one of the ways to spot greenwashing was when a company release a new product range which is sustainable, but neglects to improve the sustainability of the rest of their product ranges and processes.
-
CERTIFICATIONS
Look to see if the company has any certifications to formalise their commitment to producing an ethical and sustainable product. For example, if they say ‘organic’ on their packaging, make sure this is also accompanied by a certified organic stamp. Fun Fact – in the US companies can only label a product as ‘organic’ if it has been certified by a third-party that it met the requirements. However, in Australia this is not the case, so companies can use the term, without having a certification to back it up!
-
PACKAGING
A company that considers ethical and sustainable practices throughout their supply chain, will also be conscious of the impact their product packaging will have on the planet. If a company uses a lot of unnecessary plastic packaging that cannot be recycled, but they claim to be sustainable – this may suggest they’re not as ‘green’ as they say they are. Check out our blog post on Sustainable Packaging to see what some of the alternatives to conventional plastic packaging are, there are so many available today!
-
ASK QUESTIONS
If you’re not sure about any of the claims that the company makes, reach out to them, and ask questions. If they claim to be transparent with their customers, they should be more than happy to provide you with any additional information to help you make your decisions about whether you want to purchase from them.
-
QUALITY
This is important when it comes to clothing. If a company claims that their products are sustainable, they should be made of high-quality fabrics, that will wash and wear well over time. After all, that is one of the best ways to make fashion sustainable –to make it last, so we need to buy fewer pieces, reducing our impact on the planet.
We at KEEPER Denim hope you enjoyed the second instalment of our 2-part series on How to Spot Greenwashing and How to Avoid Greenwashing. Now you should now the key things to look out for so you can call out greenwashing when you see it and how you can make more sustainable purchases going forward.