Greenwashing

Efforts to measure the environmental impact of clothes have a fatal flaw: They don’t account for overproduction, argues Beth Esponnette.

The industry is becoming incrementally more transparent, but big brands still fail to disclose critical information about their environmental and social impact, according to this year’s Fashion Transparency Index.

Last week, Allbirds unveiled what it labels ‘the world’s first zero-carbon shoe.’ It’s a bold claim that puts the brand on the frontlines of one of fashion’s most fraught sustainability debates.

This week at fashion’s annual sustainability gathering, luxury giant LVMH called for a luxury-only sustainability initiative, while policymakers pressed for an end to throwaway fast fashion.

The environmental damage and waste created by throwaway fast fashion is ‘absolutely unacceptable,’ environment commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius told BoF.

The United Nations Environment Programme and UN-backed Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action want the sector’s marketing machine to push more sustainable lifestyles.

A small, but growing number of people are pledging to radically reduce the number of new fashion products they buy. But a deeply entrenched culture of consumerism makes it hard for many to stop shopping.

The EU parliament has backed recommendations to toughen proposed measures to tackle the excessive production and consumption of fashion.

Kering, LVMH and H&M are among a handful of companies pioneering a new science-based framework to measure, disclose and address their impact on nature.

The State of Fashion 2023 explores steps brands can take to help avoid greenwashing amid incoming regulatory requirements targeting misleading sustainability communications.

A group of sustainability experts join BoF’s Sarah Kent to discuss greenwashing in the fashion industry and how to create effective change at BoF VOICES 2022.