Although Asia has been slow to take legal action against greenwashing marketing practices, the worldwide crackdown demonstrates a collaborative desire to rethink how the sector portrays its environmental initiatives. "Asos, H&M, and Decathlon are just a few examples of offensive retailers." They are the ones who have been apprehended, but this is simply the tip of the iceberg. "Everyone does it at the risk of their reputation and litigation," says Vu-Quan Nguyen-Mase, vice president of culture and brand, ASEAN at digital marketing and PR firm Vero, located in Vietnam.
"This isn't a matter of a single bad apple. Greenwashing is widespread and will continue to occur until strong regulation is enacted. It's similar to what occurred with food labeling. Companies could claim whatever they wanted before rigorous food labeling requirements were enacted."
There is presently no global, regional, or local regulating agency in the fashion sector to guarantee that marketing materials do not mislead the public. Most nations have an advertising watchdog, a code of ethics, and best practices, but these are only recommendations at best.
Following a Dutch government inquiry, H&M deleted the "Conscious" and "Conscious Choice" labels from its shops and online and agreed to give €400,000 to sustainable initiatives to compensate for the use of ambiguous and poorly proved sustainability claims. Is this, however, a watershed point in fashion history? Could such public crises lead to the demise of sustainable marketing as a sales strategy?
"Perhaps we should," says Susie Goulding, MSL Group's head of sustainability for APAC and MEA. "It is critical that long-term marketing and communications are founded on facts and nothing but facts."
Brands can't use labels like 'eco' or 'conscious' without explaining their environmental benefits honestly and transparently. "Companies must stop acting as if sustainability is a difficult transition," she argues.
"Don't be duped by these marketing ploys. The main issue is that quick fashion is driven by trends and is not built to last. "Do you need to stop and think about how much wear you're getting out of your clothes before they end up in the landfill?" asks Sarah Garner, sustainability advocate, former global planning manager at LVMH, and current owner of Retykle, a luxury platform for resale of children's clothes. /BGNES
