Still (accidentally) greenwashing?
How to stop fooling around and why you should get your facts straight asap.
The Crisps is your snackable briefing on anti-greenwashing and honest fashion communication. Including short and savory analysis as well as current and coming legislation easily explained.
Speaking about one’s sustainable commitment can be a slippery slope. Just think of recent and past blow-ups around Allbirds, H&M and Zalando. With the EU’s proposal for a Directive on Green Claims, it will get even more slippery for marketing and communication teams to do their job.
A Commission study from 20201 found that 53.3% of the claims examined were vague, misleading or unfounded, and 40% were completely unsubstantiated. Greenhushing2 might seem like the best solution to you. But we don’t agree! Because if you’ve got a truly sustainable product or service, you have a competitive advantage you shouldn’t miss communicating.
As simple as that sounds, the fashion industry is complex. Keeping all of the nuances in mind can be daunting–we feel you. That’s why we’re here to support: Let us be your virtual colleague who bags up all the essential aspects and brings them directly to your inbox.
In our newsletter The Crisps we give you an overview of the ins and outs of talking and writing about tricky sustainability topics in fashion. Each issue focuses on one topic, gives a crisp analysis as well as practical tips, and debunks the most common myths companies still (wrongfully) use in their communication.
And because we know how difficult it is to have reliable sources and back up those green claims, we’re sharing leading findings, studies, and figures whenever possible. So you don’t have to do all of the digging yourself. But the best part is:
Already convinced? Great! Hit that subscribe button and have your snacks ready on March, 30th for the first issue of The Crisps. We’ll dive deeper into the recent proposal for the EU Green Claims Directive.
Sounds good but you need more convincing? Here’s who’s behind The Crisps and some good reasons to ditch greenwashing altogether:
Hello there, that’s us!
Tanita Hecking is a studied fashion journalist and freelance content consultant who advises and writes for fashion, beauty and lifestyle companies. She’s been in the content and communication business for more than 7 years–spending 4.5 years working for Germany’s leading content marketing agency muehlhausmoers. Next to starting her own business, she took on the role of Head of Content at Fashion Revolution Germany in 2022.
Lavinia Muth is a speaker, mentor and consultant on ethical business practices and social justice with 15 years of experience in international projects focusing on textiles & solidarity agriculture. Before starting her own business in 2022, she led the sustainability activities of the German fashion brand ARMEDANGELS. She does not give a toss about fancy marketing but is pretty good at detecting greenwashing.
Reasons to stop greenwashing asap (also if it’s accidentally):
🔹 Save big bucks in the long run: The proposal for a Directive on Green Claims was published in March 2023 by the EU Commission. The goal: to reduce greenwashing and „reinforce the level-playing field for business“3. If the proposal is approved by the European Parliament and the Council, companies will face consequences for unsubstantiated green claims. So doing it better from the start is the smarter–and cheaper–thing to do.
🔹 Your brand image is worth it. Especially when you’re working for a small or medium-sized brand–or owning it for that matter–you can’t afford to crash your brand image into the wall because of misleading communication. Just sum up how much time, budget, and passion you’ve put into building it up.
🔹 Bringing about positive change: If one of your core motivators is helping to change the industry, it’s time to get your facts straight. Because misleading communication can do more harm than good when it’s shifting problems and solutions and blocking a just transition.4
Finally, convinced? We can’t wait to share the first issue with you!
See you on the crisp side of fashion communication.
Tanita Hecking & Lavinia Muth
Have a topic or question in mind we should include in one of our issues? Drop us a mail (thecrisps@substack.com) and tell us all about it.
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European Commission, Directorate-General for Environment, (2022) Questions and Answers on European Green Claims. https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_23_1693, (accessed 22.03.2023).
Green-hushing is when companies take steps to stay quiet about their climate strategies. They do this through avoidance or refusal. If somebody asks about their climate goals, they decline to answer. If nobody asks, they don’t do anything. Explanation from Byrne, Dan (2022) What is green-hushing? https://www.thecorporategovernanceinstitute.com/insights/lexicon/what-is-green-hushing/ (accessed 22.03.2023).
European Commission, Directorate-General for Environment, (2022) Consumer protection: enabling sustainable choices and ending greenwashing. https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_23_1692, (accessed 22.03.2023).
Sörqvist, Patrik, and Linda Langeborg. "Why people harm the environment although they try to treat it well: An evolutionary-cognitive perspective on climate compensation." Frontiers in psychology (2019): 348.