Hemp-Style

The green revolution has finally begun. Indeed, in recent years, the general public's sensitivity to the environmental impact that our purchasing choices leave and to the eco-sustainable aspect has increased dramatically. The causes of this phenomenon are many: although there have been many associations and volunteers who have espoused the cause and raised public awareness on the subject, there have also been other events that have increased its influence. Indeed, climate change has literally shown us why the sustainable world is so important and why we must embrace this way of life.

Unfortunately, there are also downsides that taint the noble goal of greening. Many companies and large corporations, in fact, try to take advantage of the new wave of awareness and 'dye' themselves green in order to gain a larger share of the public. In particular, many companies, especially clothing companies, try to deceive the public, for corporate profit, and pretend to approach a more environmentally sustainable corporate policy, even though they often have very little that is environmentally sustainable. This practice is called 'greenwashing' and it affects everything around us.

Greenwashing': definition and social impact

Greenwashing is a term of English origin, literally meaning 'to wash green'. It takes the English term 'whitewash', meaning 'to whitewash' and, by extension, 'to hide' [1]. The word is used to refer to 'fronting environmentalism' [2] or 'environmentalism at face value' [3] and indicates those marketing and public communication practices that are used by large organisations, companies or the like to give a falsely positive image to the public, as far as the big world of environmentalism is concerned. In reality, this technique is used to divert the public's attention, convince them to invest and buy into their companies, when in reality they want to divert their attention from the negative effects they themselves cause [4].

The term first originated from statements by American environmentalist Jay Westerveld in 1986. He denounced the marketing campaign of a number of hotel chains, which wanted to undertake a campaign to raise awareness of the environment and the impact of laundry washing in order to persuade their guests to use towels less. Needless to say, in reality, their aim was simply to save money, from an economic point of view, but without attracting the rancour of their customers [5]. Since then, it has been easier and easier to recognise greenwashing practices on the part of companies, but at the same time, the companies themselves have also become increasingly good at hiding their goals and creating for themselves a good veneer of respectability.

Greenwashing in the fashion world: what is happening in the big names

Greenwashing, especially in the world of fashion, forces us to open our eyes and make us more aware of the products we buy, but above all to pay attention to every step of production, from the production of the fabric, through the technical design and manufacturing, to the delivery process, whether in our favourite shop or on our doorstep. In fact, there are plenty of brands trying to create a façade of environmentalism, creating campaigns that can fall within the standards of eco-sustainability. The basic problem is that, despite these 'small efforts', they do not really proselytise for the environmentally sustainable world and, much more importantly, they do not right their own wrongs, continuing to pollute.

A glaring example of this phenomenon are the big brands, which try to create clothing lines using materials that are, at their discretion, environmentally sustainable. In reality, if we go and read the labels of those products in detail, sustainable raw materials are only present in a small part, or they are in any case produced with a huge waste of raw materials. An example is organic cotton: it is indeed a material, grown according to guidelines belonging to the environmentally sustainable world, but, in these cases, it is produced with a huge waste of water and fertile soil, in such large quantities, that it has a considerable impact on the planet. Strange as it may seem, some synthetic fibres such as recycled polyester can often be more water-efficient than cotton! Of course, it involves high waste and pollution risks, caused by the microplastics inside, and of course the unhealthy impact it has on our skin.

In addition, these brands continue to pursue extremely polluting economic and production policies, which eliminates the few efforts they have made to follow the world of eco-sustainability. For example, many brands that sell products at very low prices, produce in developing countries and therefore with environmental laws that do not meet European standards, using extremely polluting machinery and production centres that release toxic substances into the surrounding environment. A further element that is often overlooked is the pollution that is caused by means of transport. In fact, transporting materials and finished products from one part of the globe to another, to reach the right manufacturing centre, and then straight to people's homes, in a matter of days, causes a great deal of pollution, which cannot be easily remedied.

The fight against greenwashing: how it works

Despite the attempts of large companies to pursue greenwashing policies, this does not go completely unpunished. In fact, there have been major steps taken by authorities and environmental associations to put an end to this misleading advertising. Several initiatives have been implemented: one of the most important is 'Make the Label Count', an association in which organisations from all over the world have joined forces to ask the European Commission to intervene in the textile situation. The most important demand they want to bring forward is to demand labels, on garments, that can have more details on process information, more transparent and accurate.

Another very important association, which was founded for this very purpose, is Fashion Revolution. This is another very important movement that demands more and more attention towards the garment production process. One of their strongest tools is the annual production of a report, the Fashion Transparency Index, with which they try to shed more light and put down on paper all the most important data in this regard.

The impact of greenwashing and its environmental counterpart is becoming stronger and stronger, becoming a topic that passes from mouth to mouth. Its influence has become so great that it has even impacted on luxury brands. For example, the world's largest clothing manufacturers (including the large luxury brand LVMH) worldwide signed an important document in 2018: the United Nations Fashion Industry Charter. Their goal is to decrease the impact of this industry on our environment by eliminating at least 30% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. This step is extremely important, as this sector alone creates at least 10% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions each year [6].

As we can well see, there are a lot of problems that still need to be addressed, when it comes to greenwashing, but the big step has been taken. In fact, something has actually changed from previous decades: nowadays, ordinary people are beginning to create their own knowledge, regarding these environments. Thanks to the online dissemination of content, whether by small witnesses such as ourselves or large associations such as the, people are gradually learning what eco-sustainability really means and what it consists of. In particular, they are beginning to recognise the efforts made by small people, such as artisans and small tailors, who are striving to create brands that are more mindful of these big consequences.

Hemp as a viable solution to greenwashing

The only goal that can be pursued, in these cases, is to continue to raise people's awareness and literacy towards the topics of eco-sustainability and environmentalism, so that they do not fall victim to big corporations and their marketing schemes.

For example, it is essential to recognise and make more conscious decisions. Indeed, it is important to be able to choose companies or small businesses that use more environmentally sustainable raw materials, fabrics such as hemp, as it really does represent the ideal fabric for the true green revolution! Hemp fabric, in fact, possesses so many 'green' characteristics: it requires very little water and fertile soil for growth, and it also possesses so many natural pesticide properties, so it should not be contaminated with harmful chemicals! In addition, it is a very durable fabric that is easy to wash at lower temperatures (thus also saving energy), which will give you wonderful clothes that, unlike fast fashion, will last a long time and, at the same time, help our ecosystem during their production.

The creation of a new and united consumer voice towards the use of sustainable resources and methods for clothing manufacturers can create a shift within the economy. Indeed, as consumers and, in our own small way, investors, we need to know where and how our money is being used.

The topic may seem very difficult and complex, because of its implications and many demands, but it is actually much simpler: it simply requires us to pay more attention to what we buy and use every day. Only by becoming more aware of our surroundings will we be able to make healthier choices towards our planet and our lives. By becoming more aware, it will be easier for us to take the right steps towards our planet and eliminate, or at least diminish in our own small way, such important harms as greenwashing.