EVERGREEN STYLE

Designer and fashion sustainability advocate LULU TAN GAN says that you must first understand what sustainability means, and then do your research to be a more discerning consumer

- MICA TORRES CRUZ

In the past decade, global markets have a heightened awareness for sustainability. It has become pivotal for the fashion industry, in particular, to integrate greener practices into its brands. What was once only feel-good marketing messaging in the 90s, has now become a legitimate customer demand.

The numbers reflect it: In 2019, the sustainable and ethical fashion market was worth $6.35 billion. According to the Globe Newswire, the market is set to grow to $9.81 billion in 2025 and $15.7 billion in 2030.

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Fast fashion companies, in turn, are creating green divisions under their brands to accommodate this demand. But these are also being closely scrutinized.

In 2019 the Norwegian Consumer Council (NCC) accused Swedish clothing company H&M of “greenwashing” their sustainable integration. NCC found that H&M Conscious only provides vague descriptions on why the H&M Conscious line is genuinely eco-friendly.

Greenwashing is a form of marketing spin that deceives consumers into believing that a company’s products are environmentally sound, usually done as a shortcut to gain profit without concrete evidence.

With H&M Conscious launching in 2010, it took nine years for the greenwashing controversy to arise. It seems that the mass market has yet to understand what sustainable products must entail and what questions must be raised to shop sustainably accurately.