Rasikka Deorey 1
Rasikka Deorey
09-11-2023
Department of Fashion Business Management, FIT
24FA TS-110-204 Product Elements and Principles Laboratory
Assistant Professor, Huipu Gao, PhD
A deceptive journey of Greenwashing
After watching this video, I realized that I am also a victim of greenwashing. Brands blatantly
lure us into believing that they are changing their production methods to be more
environmentally friendly, while in reality, they continue to contribute to waste and pollution.
Although sustainability is a hot topic and gaining awareness, many brands are not truly
committed to being sustainable. They use vague language to manipulate customers into
thinking they are making a difference. It's disheartening to know that true sustainability is still
far from reality.
As a manufacturer, I would understand the desire to minimize expenses, but brands with ample
resources should not resort to using cheap materials like polyester when alternatives are
available. The mention of bio-plastics in the video was one such technology, but there are
more being explored like pineapple leather, vegan silk, etc.
Even when brands try to use sustainable materials, the entire production cycle, including
packaging and shipping, often leaves a significant carbon footprint. Changing just one aspect
of the production process won't bring about meaningful change. We need to overhaul the entire
cycle, but it will take time to do so. Landfills are growing, pollution is increasing, and despite
talking about sustainability, we are falling short.
As a customer with limited knowledge of the production process, I used to feel good about
buying products made from recycled polyester or plastic bottles. However, I now realize that
this merely shifts pollution from one industry to another and eventually leads to more waste.
Rasikka Deorey 2
Smaller brands need to prioritize sustainable production within their budgets. In summary, this
video has made me realize that while I thought we were making progress, there is much more
work to be done, and what we think is good might be even worse.
At this point, I'm not sure what to believe and which brands and designers are genuinely
making a difference. However, designers like Stella McCartney, whose work I have followed
for a long time, give me hope. She consistently works with bio-based materials and has even
launched garments made from Mylo mushroom leather. She keeps innovating to bring
sustainable changes to the fashion industry. I've also noticed that in New York Fashion Week
2023, many designers are using deadstock fabric in their collections. While things are
changing on the runway, we need these changes to reach the streets as well.
References
CBC News. (2023, October 28). Exposing the secrets of sustainable fashion (Marketplace)
[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpwSrWlKGyg