Many consumers are aware of the term sustainability, let alone numerous related terms like transparency and traceability. One of these is greenwashing, which is when brands or companies use false or misleading marketing techniques to convince consumers that they are more sustainable than they actually are.
McKinsey has found that each generation is becoming more invested in how they impact the environment, which makes them susceptible to greenwashing. Consumers, especially millennials, want to support brands that seek to improve the world; in fact, 66% are willing to pay more for items that are sustainable. Social media articles and reviews have made it easier to learn more about companies, also offering a platform to call out work that is not original or that is overpriced for the value (Amed et al., 2019). With interest from consumers and the industry, many fashion companies and brands are working to improve transparency of consumer-centric products and traceability of the supply chain.
Transparency
Transparency is a solution to greenwashing, but the term can be vague. To define the term, note that the Fashion Transparency Index reviews the world’s largest fashion brands and retailers and ranks them according to how much they disclose about their policies, both social and environmental, their practices, and their impacts. The Index notes that it does not determine which brand is best, but which discloses the most information, adding, “Transparency does not equal sustainability. Brands may be disclosing a lot of information about their policies and practices but this doesn’t mean they are acting in a sustainable or ethical manner…. However, without transparency we cannot see or protect vulnerable people and the living planet” (Fashion Revolution, n.d.). Knowing the actual impact of an item enables consumers to make educated, responsible purchasing decisions.
A number of brands seek to be radically transparent about their manufacturing in order to gain their customers’ trust. McKinsey (Amed et al., 2019) notes that some of these include:
- Arket, owned by H&M, lists where each product is made, showing pictures of the manufacturing floor.
- Retailer Reformation measures the environmental impact of every garment it sells in pounds of carbon dioxide and gallons of water used in production, and it discloses the results to customers.
- A number of denim companies, including Boyish Jeans, Reformation, Carrera Jeans, and Dutch initiative Denim Deal, have started to use blockchain to track clothing from raw material to consumer.
Traceability
Some consumers want to know details such as where materials come from, how they are made, and the amount of water and chemicals used in their creation. They want to trace a garment through its entire production process, and this is now a possibility. The top 100 fashion brands have pledged to use 100% sustainable fibers, which has certainly led to the demand for traceable fibers. The tools used to achieve this include certification systems, as well as blockchain and DNA technology, which give textiles a unique code that can be followed throughout their product lifecycle (Velasquez, 2020).
The denim industry in particular seeks transparency through use of traceable fibers. Such technology can be embedded into fibers from the very beginning of the production process and can also withstand treatments like dyeing and bleaching. The data can be accessed along the supply chain by mills, brands, and retailers (Velasquez, 2020).
Importantly, the fashion industry is also shifting its focus to evaluate the end-of-life of apparel; for example, biodegradable fashion is gaining popularity (Nishimura, 2020). Consumers should carefully consider their part in this part of a garment’s lifestyle.
Why this matters
The Ernst & Young Future Consumer Index found that only 21% of consumers surveyed trust brands (Gramling, 2020). This must change for the sake of all involved. Someday shoppers will be able to walk into a store, scan QR codes on garments, and make selections based on which brand’s practices align with their beliefs (Nishimura, 2020). In conclusion, the fashion industry needs to work toward such a time by continually improving the transparency and traceability of textile products.
References
Amed, I., Balchandani, A., Beltrami, M., Berg, A., Hedrich, S., & Rolkens, F. (2019, February 14). What radical transparency could mean for the fashion industry. McKinsey. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/what-radical-transparency-could-mean-for-the-fashion-industry
Fashion Revolution. (n.d.). Fashion Transparency Index 2020. https://www.fashionrevolution.org/about/transparency/
Gramling, K. (2020, July 15). In a post-pandemic world, is trust the new consumer currency? Sourcing Journal. https://sourcingjournal.com/topics/thought-leadership/coronavirus-consumer-trust-supply-chain-local-sourcing-ernst-young-221502/
Nishimura, K. (2020, August 21). Why brands must work fast to catch up to ‘slow fashion’ movement. Sourcing Journal. https://sourcingjournal.com/topics/sustainability/infor-sustainability-slow-fashion-apparel-rental-repair-recycling-manufacturing-227202/
Velasquez, A. (2020, September 9). Transparency in the denim industry begins with traceable fibers. Sourcing Journal. https://sourcingjournal.com/denim/denim-innovations/transparency-denim-traceable-fibers-cotton-lenzing-fibretrace-textilegenesis-230082/
