Black Friday, Christmas sales, Birthday discounts and Boxing Day. These are just some of the many excuses that would make you go on a shopping spree. Literally, every brand and every store would have a major sale going on which will unwillingly make your legs move towards their doors. What you do not realise is that these companies do nothing but Greenwashing. And no, I do not mean that it is some form of laundry method trend that you have missed out on. Greenwashing is an advertising method wherein sustainable marketing and eco-friendly PR is used in a deceptive manner to increase sales and demand of the products. Still confused? Let me explain.
Online shopping suddenly became extremely popular during and post COVID while the retail outlets took a plunge. Companies like Boohoo and Pretty Little Thing had at least 20 million customers purchasing from their online websites. This means a constant cycle of new and fresh lines and a continuous burning of the old ones. So, you know what this means, wastage of water and energy and humongous amounts of carbon emissions. All of this for what? A new wardrobe? Bye-bye Earth, Hello new wardrobe. The worst thing is that these 2 brands claim to follow sustainable production methods even though all they do is Greenwash.
Kourtney Kardashian has recently been made the face of Boohoo however, she and the company were slammed with the scandal of making false sustainability claims. Even though the brand aims to switch to eco-friendly sources of obtaining cotton and polyester by 2050, the fashion brands do not necessarily live up to the standards of sustainability. Boohoo and PLT have been said to have not paid their workers the right wage. Moreover, several reporters and reviewers have called it the biggest hypocrisy of all times to put the face of a Kardashian on a so-called “sustainable” brand as she has done nothing to support the environment or promote sustainability.
There are several other celebrities that have become the face of several other sustainable brands that stand by their claims and have helped make a difference towards the environment. For instance, Emma Watson has been devoting herself to green fashion since 2018. From writing about it in Vogue to being the Chair of the Sustainability Committee for the Kering’s Board of director, she has made her mark in this industry by pledging her support towards environment-friendly clothing lines and apps.
Moreover, the most loved show “Love Island” partnered with eBay this season to dress up its contestants in second-hand outfits. The show decided to drop any and all sponsorships from fast fashion brands and chose to go eco-friendly. The contestants are also encouraged to wear their own clothes this season and live by an “eat, sleep, rewear, repeat” mantra.
Well now that you know what is fake and what isn’t, I am sure you can make an informed decision as to what you want to buy and from where. Think about this the next time you go shopping – Are these celebrities that you follow so religiously actually genuine?