ZARA and Other Fashion Brands Are Being Accused of Greenwashing
Campaigners are accusing multiple fashion brands, including H&M, Primark, and Zara of ‘greenwashing’, and polluting the environment.
False Green Policy
According to The Mirror: Changing Markets Foundation and City of Sea campaigners released a new report about recycling plastic bottles to be used in clothes. Many brands are promoting recycled polyesters out of PET plastic bottles used in their clothes.
The report had stated that recycling plastic into clothes is harmful to the environment and used to greenwash the brands.
H&M told the researchers that 90% of the polyester used is recycled from PET Plastic bottles. Other brands are setting up to reach the same goal, such as Zara and Primark.
The campaigners mentioned in the report that this is a “False Solution”, as recycling plastic bottles into clothes ends its recycle life, which means it ends in landfills after the clothes are used.
H&M spokesperson stated to The Mirror, while the reports bring into attention some of the major concerns for the industry, especially the use of fossil-fuel to produce synthetics, they dispute the claim of ‘greenwashing’ the brand.
However, the report stated that this is an environmentally destructive practice, which also allows brands to greenwash their collections.
The Mirror had tried reaching out to Zara and Primark for a comment on the claims.
Recycling Plastic to Clothes is Destructive for The Environment
The author of the report wrote: “Recycled plastic going into synthetics does nothing to help stop the wider problem of microplastics … they should be instead reducing reliance on synthetic fibers at the source.”
Despite knowing the damage that microplastic causes to the environment, brands are still failing to take action to reduce microplastic in the industry.
“Making fashion from plastic bottles is just another greenwashing tactic by brands to encourage people to buy more of what they do not need, and the planet can’t afford,” the campaigners said.
The report had also mentioned that 59% of companies claiming sustainability are misleading consumers.
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