Greenwashing is the term used to describe brands and companies that claim to be ‘sustainable’ and ‘eco-friendly’ in order to appeal to the consumer, when in fact they are not. One of the ways greenwashing takes form is through making products look sustainable and eco-friendly. This is becoming so commonplace that it is propagating the idea that if something is sustainable, it must have a particular ‘look’ and ‘feel’ to it.
This article scrutinises the many ways companies are using and abusing this style in order to sell more products. It will also highlight some of the companies genuinely embracing environmental principles and striving to reduce their impact on the planet.
Photo by Deva Darshan from Pexels
What does sustainability actually mean?
Sustainability, by definition, means meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It is based on the three pillars of economic, social, and environmental sustainability. This means that when the word sustainability is used, it should be used in the context of all three. This doesn't always happen, and sometimes the word is used only in terms of environmental sustainability. But that's okay.
What's not okay, is when it's taken far beyond this point, and is used in such a way that it barely relates to even environmental sustainability. This happens when it gets taken out of context and is used to represent a certain style of product - not a principle.
Sustainability is not a style, nor is it a theme. It doesn't have a 'look', and it doesn't have a ‘feel’. Sustainability is a principle; it is an approach. You should not be able to put your finger on what sustainability looks like.
Despite this, products with a certain style are being designed to appeal to the conscious consumer. These products are almost always in the colour scheme of murky browns and dull greens. They are boringly simplistic, and they almost always have some element of bamboo - even if the product has nothing to do with bamboo. There are some brands breaking the mould and doing it right - but we'll get to them at the end.
To show you what I mean, let's look at some examples...
MyProtein:
In 2020 MyProtein launched A/WEAR - a new range of clothing that is supposedly better for the environment.
I highly doubt this is the case, but that's a topic for another day. The main problem is that this product represents only a tiny percentage of their HUGE offering. Yet, it seems that this range of clothing represents the entirety of their attempts to reduce their environmental impact.
They claim it's made from 100% organic cotton - good. But they tell us nothing about where that organic cotton came from, whether they have offset the carbon emissions or anything about the working conditions of all the people along its supply chain – bad.
Essentially, their attempt to convince the consumer that this product is made in a sustainable, ethical, and environmentally friendly way is to make it... white.
Then we come to their MyVegan Protein range. Whilst plant proteins tend to be more planet-friendly, it still matters how the product is produced. Yet once again there is absolutely no information provided regarding their sourcing, processing, transportation, offsetting. All they’ve done to convince the consumer that this product is better for the planet with its design... murky brown and dull green.
H&M:
It's the same story with H&M's 'sustainable' clothing range CONSCIOUS...
This range hardly qualifies as conscious, you can read more about why that is here, and, as with A/WEAR, the conscious range from H&M represents a tiny fraction of what they sell.
The design of these clothes (often minimalist design or animal/ floral prints), along with their marketing, is entirely focused on trying to convince the consumer that these clothes really are good for the planet.
Montage by Tabitha Whiting
Bamboo is another favourite feature of the 'sustainable style'.
Disclaimer - bamboo makes a great alternative for many plastics! The problem is that it's been used to sell us products that we either already have or simply don't need. It's as if we need to buy something BECAUSE it's made out of bamboo - then we realise we have no need for it and never use it.
Take this "Durable, sustainable and easy to clean" stainless steel water bottle from WaterDrop:
It is made out of bamboo, and it has the word sustainable in the description. Therefore, if you’re someone who is wanting to buy more sustainably made products, you may see this and buy it, thinking it ticks all the boxes.
However, you can be certain that the bamboo coat design was not chosen because it’s a more planet-friendly material, but because the presence of bamboo makes the product appear more sustainable, and therefore appeals to the conscious consumer.
We can be certain of this because of the lack of information provided about how it was produced. Metal bottles are an incredibly resource and energy-intensive product to produce. Each stage (mining the ore, chemical extraction, transportation, moulding/melding, etc.. ) requires energy and has an environmental impact. There will also be large amounts of waste produced at each stage of the products life cycle. If the producer had taken the time to account for all of these stages, don’t you think they would want to tell you about it?
The most ‘sustainable’ bottle you can buy is one that already exists.
Up next, the bamboo toothbrush... Did you know that the global bamboo toothbrush market size was valued at USD 23.5 million in 2019? If you're reading this you've probably used, or at least seen someone using a bamboo toothbrush. They became so popular that even Colgate themselves brought one to our shelves. Can you guess what colours they used on the packaging? … Brown
Nestle recently launched their Organic Cheerios range. I wonder what colour they went with... brown
Some might argue that the use of brown colour requires less ink and is more "natural". However, the colour used in ink is a relatively small problem. Ink is made up of a number of ingredients, not just the colouring agent. Many factors affect the impact of ink, including where all these ingredients have been sourced from, and whether they are biodegradable. Then, expanding this to the packaging itself, it matters much more what material is being used to print on. Where that material has been sourced, whether it is made of recycled material, and whether it is recyclable at the end of its life, are all factors that impact the sustainability of that packaging. Making the packaging brown but changing nothing else does little to reduce impact.
Eco-friendly as a theme:
'Eco-friendly' has become such a recognisably characteristic theme that it is literally being used as a party theme. Can you guess what the style looks like?
Brown bamboo plates, cups and cutlery, with some random leaves.
These examples are everywhere. Here's an email I got from WHSmith...
There are many, many more examples, but I think I've made my point!
What I’m trying to say is that sustainability isn't just another style that corporations, manufacturers and SME’s can decide to use when designing products to increase sales. It is a principle on which producers need to run their business, and that needs to be built into the products life-cycle right from the word go when materials are sourced, all the way up to the end of its life.
All this being said, there are many great companies that operate with sustainability as a core value - and look fantastic!
Who Gives A Crap
Who Gives A Crap is a carbon-neutral company that sells toilet rolls. They donate 50% of their profits to help build toilets in areas with poor sanitation. Overall, they have donated £4.5 million to help provide proper sanitation for the 2 billion people in need. Being a B Corp certified company, they follow the highest ethical, social and environmental standards, meaning sustainability is a core principle on which their company runs.
What I love most about them is that they've really embraced the excitement of sustainability. Their bright coloured packaging and lively advertising is a breath of fresh air in the world of sustinability.
Brewdog
Brewdog is a company that sells a range of beers.
Like Who Gives A Crap, Brewdog is B Corp company, meaning it strictly follows the highest operating standards. Brewdog didn't just decide to make an 'ecofriendly' beer alongside their existing range - no, they have completely shifted their entire business to become the first carbon-negative brewery in the world. And they look great doing it...
BAM
Finally, BAM sells clothing made from bamboo and delivers them to you entirely plastic-free. BAM has also thought about what happens to the item of clothing once it's reached the end of its life - you can send your clothes (postage-paid) to Sharewear, who will recycle your clothes... and then BAM will give you £5 off your next purchase.
So, whilst BAM uses bamboo in their clothing, their style isn't browns, creams, and greens. Instead, they produce fun, colourful, exciting-looking clothes. The 'sustainability' comes in at the operational and sourcing stage of production - not the design.
I hope you've enjoyed this article (which turned into a bit of a rant, apologies...)
What can you take away from this?
Keep an eye out for whether a brand IS sustainable, rather than whether it just LOOKS sustainable.
If you're still unsure what constitutes a sustainable product, and where you should look for items, then there are many directories you can check out which list and score brands on their impact:
And look out for that B Corp logo!
I give bamboo 6/10
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