Dear Friend, What is Greenwashing?

“Dear friend: I like to start my notes with you as if we're already in the middle of a conversation. I pretend that we're the oldest and dearest friends as opposed to what we actually are: a parasocial relationship between author and reader.”

    I hope that line strikes a chord with many of you, humming the melody of nostalgia. That intro, or at least the first part, comes from my very favorite movie You’ve Got Mail. And while the line has no apparent relevance to sustainability, I have been thinking about that movie as spring begins to bloom, the flowers begin to paint the horizon, the bees begin to buzz, and smiles begin to return to the many familiar faces of the city. 

    I spent my first winter away from Texas this past year. And, you probably know two things about Texas. The first being that “everything is bigger in texas”, and the second (the more relevant) it is hot and humid. Especially in Houston. When I ventured home for winter break I was greeted with a hug from humidity, that being said, spending a winter in the bitter northeast was quite the adventure. 

    In the fall, life-long winter veterans sang the song that “it would be in the negatives almost every night”, and as we round the corner to spring the tune has changed. The melody has been resolved and “this was the most tame winter in years”.  My mind began to connect the dots and drew the obvious conclusion between the current climate crisis and the severity of this past winter. 

    Last week, I gave you a glimpse into my thought bubble (Shoutout to John and Hank Green), and the discourse between ethical shopping and sustainable shopping. Between the last time we chatted and now the buzz surrounding the climate crisis has swarmed. 

    As someone who considers herself pretty well-versed in sustainability I was surprised by the amount of new terminology I heard being thrown around. I want to begin to introduce some of the words I hear, and deem relevant to my column.

    While initially, Lucy Ivey (the most wonderful editor and chief) and I decided this column might take a hiatus over the summer, I find it would only be fitting that because the climate crisis has begun to receive more media attention I should continue to contribute to the conversation within the realms of Gen Z, fashion, and all that this column encompasses. 

    That being said, while I switched my brain into autopilot and spent far too long scrolling on TikTok I saw this term being thrown around. Greenwashing. Greenwashing is  practice, wherein corporations use vague buzzwords in order to trick their customers into thinking they are making environmentally conscious efforts when in reality they are not doing anything. As anxieties swell surrounding the climate crisis, companies of course seek to capitalize off of these very real and pressing concerns. 

    In the context of fashion, companies often mislead consumers to think they are making strides toward sustainability, without providing real data or information. A pattern I have noticed in many mainstream fast fashion companies si the idea of using “recyclable materials” or releasing “Eco-Friendly Collections”. And on the surface this sounds amazing, like real change could be coming, however when looking into the minutiae, it is glaringly evident that these are nothing more than marketing claims. Greenwashing is always and only beneficial to the corporation, ensuring that consumers will stay loyal as social changes become more mainstream. 

    Greenwashing is not a life sentence however. The pedestal that greenwashing relies on is deception, as long as customers are locked into believing the lies they craft corporations will always reign supreme. But, when companies lose that edge, greenwashing is no longer effective. While greenwashing is highly nuanced and highly complex there is hope. Do not be mistaken, not all Eco-Friendly Marketing is a corporate ploy to draw people in, some is true and reflects the morals of the corporation.     Oftentimes, the practice of resource backed sustainable marketing is called green marketing. In order to be classified as green marketing a corporation must meet certain criteria. THe criteria is quite extensive and boring, but the gist of it, is real documented change in terms of production, manufacturing and distribution. 

    As previously mentioned these terms are highly nuanced and I do not want to downplay the complexity of this issue, in these next few installments I would like to raise awareness about these terms in order to help you better navigate the tricks and traps set up by corporations. 

    with all my love and more 

    willow