Greenwashing - our thoughts, mission, and how to spot it

If you participate or spectate on social media, particularly fashion focussed, you will of seen a huge conversation recently around Greenwashing concerning retail giants, Boohoo and Pretty Little Thing. At the forefront of the latest attempt to gain environmental credibility, Boohoo partnered with Kourtney Kardashian Barker in its latest ‘sustainable’ collection. But what is Greenwashing and how do you know it when you see it?

Essentially, if a brand is shouting from the rooftops misleading information on the environmental practices of their company or performance - production of products or conditions they are made in - you are seeing Greenwashing.  It’s in the smoke-and-mirrors language used to describe production processes that negate to include the full picture, in the hopes that the brand will gain credibility for very little change in production or process, passed off as ‘environmentally friendly’ or ‘sustainability and style’ collaborations such as we’ve seen lately with Boohoo.

It’s a huge topic to cover, and one that has made it’s way to mainstream television earlier this year. With this year’s Love Island contestants all wearing EBAY pre-loved pieces, sourced by a team of stylists that would usually be selecting endless fast fashion items from brands like Boohoo, Pretty Little Thing and Misguided, this was quite a bold and beautiful move to see. To make this statement and to encourage consumers to vote with their money, find joy in pre-loved and above all, to make them more mindful of their buying power, it was a great thing to see consumers of all ages and identities engaging in the conversation around sustainability and responsible production.

We’ve been having this discussion since the first days of ILU Fitwear, and wanting to ensure our production process is transparent, and responsibly sourced in excellent working conditions that pay fair wages for the beautiful pieces we order. We consider the proximity of factories - ours are in Portugal - to ensure that when we place orders and have them shipped, they are not leaving too big a carbon footprint. The designs are prepared in the UK and we entrust our wonderful factory who uphold high standards of working life for those creating our pieces, plus, when we order, we do so in relation to demand, so there is little wastage and so that the best care goes into each piece we receive.

We echo the thoughts of Sarah Cardell, interim Chief Executive of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), as she discussed with The Guardian, “People who want to 'buy green' should be able to do so confident that they aren't being misled”. 

So keep an eye out and please, please, please, shop SMALL and SLOW fashion!