Kingpins Amsterdam returned to a new location near Amsterdam last week. Since the last edition, before the pandemic, a lot has changed in the world. There was not only the Corona crisis, but also the interruption of the production chain and various draft laws for a sustainable and circular fashion industry. Sustainability has been a concern in the fashion industry for some time, especially in the denim world. Numerous players will be presenting the latest innovations in the exhibition area. The additional lecture program included a panel discussion on the subject of greenwashing. How does the denim world view the emerging stricter greenwashing rules?
The European Commission recently presented a draft ban on greenwashing. She suggested that companies should stop making “general, vague environmental claims” such as “environmentally friendly,” “eco,” or “green.” In addition, it should also become a criminal offense to make a sustainability claim about an entire product while it only relates to a part or aspect of the product. Third, companies are no longer allowed to use a “voluntary sustainability label” that is not based on verification by an external party or public authorities. Although the draft has yet to be adopted and incorporated into the legislation of the various EU Member States, it is already giving businesses a lot to think about.
New sustainability regulations make denim world nervous
What’s striking about Kingpins is that claims like “sustainable” are no longer easy to spot. The companies mention how much water is saved compared to “traditional production methods”, but the term “sustainable” is no longer visible. It seems that the denim world is also becoming increasingly aware of greenwashing practices and the fact that customers, both end users and buyers, do not just take everything.
The ‘Transformers’ section, which was geared towards sustainability, was also located in the exhibition area. “It’s great to see this specific area of sustainability at Kingpins,” Matthew Abbott, a design consultant at Arvind, told FashionUnited. “It’s getting harder and harder to see how sustainable a company really is when they make their claims.”
A conspicuous exhibitor at the fair is Officina39 from Italy. The company uses the term “trustable”. “We believe in innovation, we believe in sustainable practices, we believe in clean information and social responsibility. We believe that sustainability is possible and that it is possible to find a new word for it,” says a label on an Officina39 garment. At the stand, Managing Director Andrea Venier explains that measuring sustainable and circular practices is not easy “First we have to find a way for everyone to measure. The number of certificates doesn’t help either, because which is better than the other?” The only thing that will help is full, radical transparency and indeed the same measurement points across the industry.
Ebru Ozaydin of The Lycra Company says the company is happy with the European Commission’s new proposals. It’s glad that not everyone can make a sustainability claim without explaining what they mean by that and how sustainable a product really is. Ozaydin also said the company is happy with the new circular textiles strategy. “We are working on circular solutions and extending the lifespan of our products. We don’t like the word ‘sustainable’, preferring the term ‘working on circular solutions,'” she explains.
Denim world: Stopping greenwashing is harder than it looks
There are several sides to the problem of greenwashing, as the panel discussion on the second day of Kingpins Amsterdam showed. It’s easier to spot on the buyer’s side, but it quickly gets more complicated for consumers. “Customers want short answers as to why something is better,” says Bert van Son, founder of Mud Jeans. Explaining why something is a better choice but why the product isn’t fully circular or sustainable just doesn’t fit on a small label.Franky Vangaever, founder of the consultancy Responsible Textile Innovation, adds that labeling products in terms of sustainability from green to yellow to red is also not visually appealing.Red scares people away, and in the After all, the fashion industry has to sell the products.
Amy Leverton from the trend agency Denim Dudes also points out that avoiding greenwashing in the production chain is not easy. “Take, for example, a company that dyes fabrics. The chemists can perfectly explain how sustainable something is, but their product then goes to the marketers, who wrap it in slightly different words. A marketing professional is not a chemist. The designers then see the commercialization of, for example, a method for dying fabrics and think: ‘Fantastic, this way I can make my products more sustainable’ without checking the facts. This continues again and again in the production chain. So sometimes the last claims are no longer true.” The panel members therefore encourage everyone to check and research for themselves whether their own production methods and the products they select and make are really that sustainable and/or circular. ” Don’t buy or use what you don’t know,” Vangaever said.
The greenwashing ban will also be discussed on the podium. The ban could ultimately ensure that there is a legal basis for imposing fines for greenwashing. Van Son supports this legislation. “If you’re selling false information, you should be punished for it.” Van Son also says the government can do more to combat greenwashing fail to meet a certain standard and support the brands that are striving to do better.”
Kingpins Amsterdam once again shows how complicated the concept of greenwashing is. One doesn’t always do this with the intention of appearing greener than one actually is, but there is still much to be achieved. Businesses still have some time before European rules are transposed into national law, but if they’re waiting for a start signal, this is it.
This translated post previously appeared on FashionUnited.nl.