Understanding greenwashing: how to spot it and avoid it
- Jan 28
- 7 min read
Why this matters more than ever
If you've ever stood in a shop holding a garment labelled "eco-friendly" or "conscious collection" and wondered what that actually means, you're not alone. The fashion industry has embraced sustainability as a marketing message, but the gap between what brands claim and what they actually deliver can be vast.
Greenwashing isn't just annoying—it actively undermines efforts to make fashion more sustainable. When misleading claims muddy the waters, it becomes harder for genuinely responsible brands to stand out, and harder for consumers to know where their money is going. Understanding greenwashing is therefore one of the most valuable skills you can develop as a conscious shopper.
This guide will help you understand what greenwashing looks like, why it's so prevalent, and most importantly, how to see through it. By the end, you'll have practical tools to evaluate sustainability claims and make choices you can feel confident about.
What greenwashing actually means
Greenwashing is when a company presents itself or its products as more environmentally friendly than they really are. The term was coined in the 1980s by environmentalist Jay Westerveld, who noticed hotels asking guests to reuse towels "for the environment" while making no other meaningful environmental efforts. The towel policy saved the hotels money on laundry—the environmental benefit was a convenient side effect dressed up as the main motivation.
In fashion, greenwashing takes many forms. It might be a fast fashion brand launching a small "sustainable" collection while the other 95% of their products remain unchanged. It might be vague language like "eco-conscious" or "made with care for the planet" that sounds meaningful but commits to nothing specific. Or it might be highlighting one positive attribute—like recycled packaging—while ignoring larger issues like overproduction or poor labour conditions.
The key characteristic of greenwashing is the mismatch between image and reality. A brand engaged in greenwashing wants the reputational benefits of appearing sustainable without making the fundamental changes that genuine sustainability requires. Sometimes this is deliberate deception; sometimes it's well-meaning marketing that outpaces actual practice. Either way, the effect on consumers is the same: confusion and misplaced trust.
The nuance: why it's more complicated than it seems
Greenwashing isn't always obvious, and that's precisely what makes it effective. The most sophisticated greenwashing doesn't involve outright lies—it uses selective truths, implied claims, and strategic omissions.
Selective truths involve highlighting genuine but minor improvements while ignoring bigger problems. A brand might proudly announce that their hangtags are now recycled paper, while saying nothing about the synthetic fabrics, excessive water use, or carbon emissions involved in making the actual garments. The recycled hangtag claim is true, but it creates an impression of sustainability that the overall business doesn't support.
Implied claims use language and imagery that suggest environmental benefits without explicitly stating them. Words like "natural," "pure," and "clean" have no regulated meaning in fashion but carry positive environmental associations. A garment made from "natural fibres" sounds eco-friendly, but conventional cotton grown with heavy pesticide use is also technically natural. The implication does the work without the brand having to make a verifiable claim.
Strategic omissions involve leaving out information that would complicate the sustainability narrative. A brand might emphasise that their cotton is organic but not mention that it's blended with conventional polyester, or that it's produced in facilities with poor labour standards. What's not said can be as misleading as what is.
There's also a spectrum of intent. Some greenwashing is calculated—marketing departments know exactly what they're doing. But some comes from brands that genuinely want to improve but overstate their progress, or from well-meaning employees who don't fully understand the complexity of sustainability claims. This doesn't make the greenwashing less problematic, but it does mean that not every misleading claim comes from malicious intent.
What the evidence shows
Research consistently demonstrates that greenwashing is widespread in fashion. A 2021 investigation by the Changing Markets Foundation examined the sustainability claims of major fashion brands and found that 59% of green claims made by European fashion companies failed to meet basic standards for substantiation. Many claims were vague, misleading, or simply unverifiable.
The European Commission's own research supports this finding. A 2020 sweep of websites found that 42% of green claims were potentially false or deceptive, and the fashion and textiles sector was among the worst offenders. This evidence led to the European Union proposing the Green Claims Directive, which would require companies to substantiate environmental claims with evidence and have them independently verified.
The scale of the problem is partly a function of how sustainability language is regulated—or rather, isn't. Terms like "sustainable," "eco-friendly," and "green" have no legal definition in most jurisdictions. Unlike claims about organic food, which are tightly regulated, fashion sustainability claims largely operate in a regulatory grey zone. This creates an environment where brands can make bold statements with little accountability.
Consumer research shows that people are increasingly sceptical. A 2023 survey by First Insight found that while 62% of consumers prefer to buy from sustainable brands, 88% don't trust brands' sustainability claims. This scepticism is healthy, but it also creates a challenge: when consumers can't distinguish genuine efforts from marketing spin, even well-intentioned brands struggle to be believed.
How this affects your choices
Understanding greenwashing changes how you evaluate what brands tell you. Instead of taking claims at face value, you learn to ask better questions.
Look for specificity over vagueness. Genuine sustainability efforts tend to come with details: percentages, certifications, timelines, and third-party verification. "Made with 50% certified recycled polyester" tells you something concrete. "Made with the planet in mind" tells you nothing. The more vague the claim, the more sceptical you should be.
Check for third-party verification. Certifications like GOTS, GRS, B Corp, and Fair Trade mean that an independent body has verified specific standards. They're not perfect, but they're far more reliable than unverified brand claims. When a brand cites a certification, you can look it up and understand exactly what it guarantees. When a brand makes up its own sustainability label, you have only their word.
Consider the whole picture. One sustainable product line doesn't make a sustainable brand. Look at the company's overall practices: do they disclose their supply chain? Do they have measurable targets with progress reports? Are they transparent about what they're still working on? Brands genuinely committed to sustainability tend to acknowledge their limitations rather than just highlighting their wins.
Be wary of "conscious" collections. Many fast fashion brands have launched sustainability-branded sub-collections, often with names including words like "conscious," "committed," or "caring." These collections typically represent a tiny fraction of the brand's output and may not be significantly better than regular lines. They function primarily as marketing tools to capture environmentally-motivated customers while the core business model remains unchanged.
Follow the incentives. Ask yourself whether the sustainability claim aligns with the brand's business interests. A company genuinely pursuing sustainability often has to make choices that cost money or limit growth. If a brand's sustainability messaging never seems to conflict with maximising sales, that's worth questioning.
The trade-offs and limitations
Spotting greenwashing isn't always straightforward, and there are genuine difficulties in evaluating sustainability claims.
Fashion supply chains are extraordinarily complex. A single garment might involve cotton grown in one country, spun into yarn in another, woven into fabric in a third, dyed and finished in a fourth, and assembled in a fifth before being shipped globally. Even brands with good intentions don't always have complete visibility into their supply chains, which makes comprehensive sustainability claims difficult to verify.
Sustainability itself involves trade-offs that don't fit neatly into "good" or "bad" categories. Organic cotton uses fewer pesticides but often requires more water and land than conventional cotton. Recycled polyester diverts plastic from landfill but still sheds microplastics when washed. A garment made in a country with a clean energy grid might have a lower carbon footprint than one made closer to home. These complexities mean that simple claims like "sustainable" or "eco-friendly" are almost always oversimplifications, even when made in good faith.
There's also a question of what standard to judge against. Is a brand greenwashing if they're genuinely better than average but still fall short of ideal? Is incremental progress worth acknowledging, or does it deserve criticism for not going far enough? Reasonable people disagree on these questions, and your own answer will depend on your values and expectations.
Taking action
The goal isn't to become so sceptical that you're paralysed, but to develop a more discerning eye. Here are practical steps you can take.
Start by slowing down. Greenwashing works partly because we make quick decisions based on surface impressions. Taking a moment to look beyond the marketing—checking what certifications are actually present, reading beyond the headline claims—makes a significant difference.
Build familiarity with legitimate certifications. You don't need to memorise every standard, but knowing that GOTS means third-party verified organic textiles, or that B Corp certification involves a rigorous whole-company assessment, gives you reference points for evaluating claims. Our certification guides go deeper into what each standard actually guarantees.
Use tools that aggregate sustainability information. Platforms like Good On You, Fashion Checker, and our own FSI score do research so you don't have to evaluate every brand from scratch. They're not infallible, but they provide a useful starting point.
Remember that buying less is often the most sustainable choice. The fashion industry's environmental impact is driven substantially by the sheer volume of clothing produced. A genuine sustainable fashion approach involves questioning whether you need a new garment at all, regardless of how it's marketed.
Finally, don't let perfect be the enemy of good—including in your own choices. You won't always get it right, and that's fine. The point is to make more informed decisions more often, not to achieve perfection. Understanding greenwashing is a skill that develops over time, and every bit of scepticism you bring makes the market a little harder for misleading claims to thrive in.
Comments