Greenwashing: How to tell if a business is really environmentally friendly

What does a company need to do to really be ethical and sustainable?

Some brands are created to be environmentally and ethically conscious. They are created with considerations in place from the very beginning. Other brands struggle to shift toward eco-awareness and make claims online that they are doing so – but what do they really need to do to be ethical and sustainable?

• Pay workers fairly
• Ensure factories used aren’t polluting the local environment
• Use recycled and natural materials wherever possible
• Use low emission transport to get their product to store and to the customer
• Avoid destroying returned products
• Use plastic alternatives to package and label products
• Produced locally – this is difficult for large brands but as consumers, shopping locally with smaller businesses tends to be a more environmentally friendly option
• Charging fair prices to pay fair wages – a £2 t-shirt is costing someone something somewhere

To truly shop sustainably, fast fashion shouldn’t be your first option and we should continue to consider alternatives. For example, simply wearing what we already have, only replacing items rather than shopping for entertainment, shopping second hand and when we can afford to shop with brands that have been specifically created to be environmentally friendly.

For a brand to truly be environmentally friendly and ethical, it needs to have a true belief in the cause with an ethos and open practices that reflect this.

Tips to reduce your carbon footprint

Fashion is one of the world’s biggest polluters and we currently have enough clothes on the planet to clothe the next five generations of humans. Yet our appetite for cheap, disposable fashion isn’t slowing, even though many of us are aware of the negative impact fast fashion has.

To help you get started reducing your footprint, here are our top tips:

Before you shop, check your wardrobe. Many of us have unworn items hidden at the back of our wardrobes, so start each season by going through what you already own and rediscovering forgotten items.

Avoid trends. Try to shop only for items you know you’ll wear again and again over the years. Shop for items which have longevity in style and quality.

Shop second hand first. For many items, there will be second hand options available, sometimes you can even find unworn items on places like Depop or eBay. Just ensure when shopping, that the items are coming from an individual or second-hand boutique rather than being mass-produced and sold through those platforms rather than a fast fashion website.

Shop with ethical and high-quality brands whenever you can. They are more expensive, but the fewer items you buy the more you can spend on one item and by purchasing items that are high quality, you won’t have to replace them as often. Shop on ethical sites first, before resorting to cheaper, less sustainable options.

Wait a day before you buy. If you’re tempted by an offer or trendy item you hadn’t thought to buy before you saw it, wait a day and make sure you really want it. This is true for everything, from technology to home décor. In fact, wait longer if you can. You might find that your knee jerk reaction to buy, was in fact a reaction to some clever marketing and branding.

People Tree

The original eco-friendly, Fairtrade British brand offers a wide selection of fashion for women, from basics to beautiful dresses, to pyjamas, yoga clothes and a number of fantastic collaborations. People Tree is a Fairtrade, vegan brand that is committed to sustainable practices and offers a fantastic range of beautiful, quality clothing that are perfect for a capsule wardrobe that will last for years to come.

Yogamatters

This North East based business has a wide selection of yoga equipment, clothes and much more. There is a great range of lifestyle and home gifts, books and general sports equipment. As well as shopping locally, by purchasing from Yoga Matters you are also guaranteed that the products have been carefully selected to ensure suppliers are ethical and sustainable. They are also committed to avoiding airfreight stock delivery wherever possible and have open and honest commitments on their website about everything from reducing waste in their offices to recycling.