Greenwashing: Is sustainable fashion a myth?

Our overconsumption of fast fashion and its complicated supply chain continue to have massive environmental impacts. Now, shoppers are demanding more sustainable clothing options. Brands and retailers are responding with new items and promoting their green and eco-friendly lines.

But how can consumers tell if this is real change that will help the planet? Or are retailers greenwashing their way into Canadian closets?

Kayla McLean reports for The New Reality.

For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca/news/9723465/fashion-greenwashing/

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(narrator) If you've been shopping
in a mall or online for clothing recently,

you may have noticed a trend.

♪ (music) ♪

(narrator) An increase in fashion
promising is more sustainable.

(woman 1) Even the printed design
is plant based.

Environmentally friendly.

That's why 79% of our garments

already have sustainable properties.

(narrator) More shoppers want fashion
that is less impactful on the planet

and companies are responding.

It's a very very big trend right now.

So there's a huge increase
in the market of stuff

leading us to be sustainable.

(narrator) While some companies
are doing the right thing,

many consumers we spoke with
are skeptical.

They're using all the right words

but I don't see it actually
being put into practice.

If I'm going to by something
that claims to be "eco",

am I asking the cashier
like if they know?

Honestly, no.

(Kelly D.) Putting big terms like:

natural, organic,
sustainable, vegan.

Those kinds of terms are being used.

(narrator) Kelly Drennan is the founding
executive director of

Fashion Takes Action (FTA).

For more than 16 years,
her non-profit has been working

to advance sustainability
in Canadian fashion.

(Kelly) And so what we're doing is,
is there actually misleading the consumer

into thinking that those products
are made sustainably

by using those kind of words.

And making the assumption that
the consumer does not know any better,

and doesn't have the time to actually
do the research.

And so, they end up buying the product

because they think they're doing
something better for the planet.

(narrator) She says she's seen it all

including companies
greenwashing their way

into Canadian closets.

It's the wild west, really,
in terms of what claims to be in made

and what companies are getting away with.

Is it frustrating for you some times
to see these wild claims being made?

It's a 100% frustrating,
because they are some brands

that legitimately are doing
great things.

The ones who are doing it properly,

have the certifications
to backup those claims,

or they're being transparent.

They allow you sort of behind the scene,
so you can actually get in there

and see if what they're saying
is legitimate.

And then you got the brands that
are jumping on the bandwagon

and taking advantage of the consumer.

(narrator) While deceptive marketing
in general is illegal in Canada,

Kelly wants the government to step up.

There are some countries where
there are more laws in place now,

antique washing laws, transparency laws,

which really protect the consumer
at the end of the day.

But like in anything, there's good actors,
and there's bad actors.

(narrator) Our over consumption
of fast fashion,

makes the industry,
one of the most polluting,

a problematic for the planet.

(Kelly) In Canada, textiles in our landfill
is actually higher than electronics.

So you've got the synthetics,
the polyester nylon, acrylic spandex...

That's plastic,
so when it is in the landfill,

it's never gonna biodegrade.

We really need to slow down
our consumption,

we buy too much stuff.

We buy 60% more clothes today
than we did 20 years ago,

and keep our clothes for half its long.

(narrator) Some consumers
are paying attention.

"List" a fashion technology company
analyses shoppers behavior.

It found searches for sustainable fashion
in Canada rose by 37% in 2020.

It means companies truly dedicated
to sustainable practices

have to figure out
how to set themselves apart.

This is the photo shoot
for Kristi Soomer's latest collection.

She's the founder and CEO of
Canadian-made clothing brand "Encircled."

That looks great.
OK, now we're gonna reverse it...

(narrator) She started the company
in 2012, and about 4 years in,

wanting to set apart from others
making sustainability claims.

She applied for B Corp status,
a private certification that investigates

social, environmental,
and business practices.

All at her own expenses.

Having that third party audit
was really important to show

that we were actually doing
what we were saying were doing

and I think that time I started to see

a lot more greenwashing start to happen.

A few fast fashion brands had launch,

you know, conscious collections

and I was starting to feel
a lot more pressure around that,

and I could see that sustainability
was becoming a challenge for us

to separate ourselves
from those that'd work greenwashing.

(narrator) Part of the issue
with sustainability,

it's the complex labyrinth
of the fashion supply chain.

The brand is growing localy,

"Encircled" designs in-house
makes half of its fabrics in Toronto.

And everything is sawn
within a 60 km radius of its studio.

(Kristi S.) So this is your
everyday dress that we're doing.

Jack's cutting your purchase order now.

(journalist) Wow.

(narrator) All these considerations
come with a higher price.

A lot of people would look at
sustainable fashion and say:

"It's more expensive to buy that shirt."

And it absolutely is,

because of our supply chain,
because of our labor practices,

and because of the time
it takes to design it,

and the skill that we have as a brand.

This idea that you buy like,
20 dresses for $10 that you wear once

and you toss it,

well, it's not sustainable
for us as a planet.

(narrator) Education is
a key component of Kelly's work.

Thousands of companies
have enlisted her help.

(Kelly) So much variety
now since you first launched.

(narrator) Today, she's visiting Wuxly
in Toronto, checking out its new fabrics.

(salesperson) The dyes, the fabrics,
all of that get tested rigorously.

(narrator) It's a Canadian
outerwear company,

also with B Corp certification.

One of a small number in Canadian apparel
to have the designation.

We don't work
with just the industry

so the people who make it,
can just sell clothes.

We also work with the people
who buy it, wear it, care for it,

and eventually dispose of it

and if we're talking about
changing a system,

you have to work
with any single stakeholder

who is a part of that system.

(narrator) And that also means brands
and nonprofits are doing

most of the educating.

(Kelly) It's really
the industry's responsibility,

brand should be raising awareness within,

you know, within their customer's base,

about what positive impacts
that they're having.

At the same time, you know, governments
really need to be stepping up as well,

having access to education

and knowing how
our products are being made,

where they being made,

and what impact they have
on people and the plantet,

is something that the government
should take care more about.

(narrator) Bob Kirke is
the executive director

of the Canadian Apparel Federation,

representing a wide range of clothing
and manufacturing companies in Canada.

Whose responsibility is it ultimately?

I think companies need
to explain themselves,

rather than just having a tagline
or a simple statement, "We're green."

What is it? What does it mean for you?

(narrator) Bob says
companies are now "greenhushing,"

choosing not to publicize
sustainability efforts or claims.

To make those kind of claims is easy.

So that's why I think a lot of people
are pulling back,

in larger companies in particular,

because they're worried about enforcement,

and they realize how complicated
the supply chain is.

It's all over the world,

multiple factories, multiple suppliers.

So essentially it's being called
greenhushing and it is caution.

They're still doing all the things
that they're doing and, again,

we recommend to our members
and to all companies

to be very guarded in what they say.

(narrator) To tackle green claims overall,

the EU recently proposed a new law
to hold companies accountable,

including in fashion.

The UK is also cracking down
on fashion greenwashing.

For now, Canada
is not making any changes.

We don't need to change our laws.

We just need to find a way

that works for the competition bureau

and for industry and,
ultimately, for consumers.

But, the one thing I would say is that

the competition bureau
is being reluctant to take that up,

they have others priorities
and that's fine,

but I would say it's going to be helpful.

(narrator) We reached out
to the competition bureau

to see if it plans to increase enforcement
of greenwashing and fashion.

The bureau declined an on-camera interview

and did not respond the questions
by our production deadline.

Kelly continues her mission.

(Kelly) Fashion is something
that we all can relate to.

We don't all drive cars or own homes.

But we all wear clothes.

You get up everyday and put on clothes.

We really want to see
a conscious fashion system.

And, at the same time,

we recognize that perfection
doesn't exists in this space.

If the industry does it collectively,

then we can actually, you know,

make some changes
and advance sustainability.

♪ (music) ♪