Better to make mistakes than say nothing at all

There is a lot of talk about environmental claims being made in fashion and textiles right now. More pertinently, many of our customers – fashion brands and retailers – are being criticised for making ‘false or misleading’ claims.

?I have also seen some of the better-known garment manufacturers called out over their claims. ‘Greenwashing’ is a phrase we are hearing more and more.

?Is this right? I think we should be careful how we manage these issues. Is it correct that industry players should be accountable and open to critique for the claims which they make? Of course it is. It is incumbent on them to do their best to get things right and not mislead consumers and industry stakeholders. Sustainability is too important an issue not to get right.

?However, we are treading a fine line. At what point does fair and valid criticism cross the line into making trouble for the sake of it? At what point do we need to question the motives of those who criticise? At what point does the constant bombardment of critique and claims of greenwashing actually start to hinder industry progress? I see a lot of criticism but not so much constructive debate.

?My concern has always been that if companies believe they will be criticised each time they celebrate their progress, they may stop talking about these issues at all. That would be a disaster. We need to be talking about environmental and sustainability issues more than ever. And that includes businesses publicly documenting areas in which they have made progress.

?I believe there is some justification in my concerns. A recent report from the USA found that an increasing number of climate-aware companies are supporting their net zero commitments with science-based targets. However, surprisingly, one quarter of these businesses do not plan to publicly talk about their progress.

?This is known as ‘green-hushing’ and it means businesses are basically keeping quiet about their sustainability progress for fear of repercussions (ie they worry there will be a negative backlash).

?The US report notes that, by hiding their progress, it makes corporate climate targets harder to scrutinise and limits knowledge-sharing on decarbonisation, potentially leading to less ambitious targets being set, and missed opportunities for industries to collaborate.

?Companies have to be allowed to talk, to debate, to share progress, to share challenges, to update industry stakeholders on where they are in their climate journey and where they are trying to get to. We should not be hiding away from these issues and businesses should not be made to feel guilty for making honest mistakes.

?On the issue of greenwashing, I see lots of fashion brands have made green claims but are now being forced to back-track on them. They are also coming in for lots of criticism, with claims they have lied to or deliberately tried to deceive the public.

?While there will be a few rotten apples in any organisations, I don’t believe any major fashion retailers have deliberately set out to lie. When I look around, I see lots of truly passionate people desperately trying to do the right thing on these issues. I see a sense of urgency at fashion brands in getting these messages out quickly and looking to introduce eco-labels to they can tell customers about their progress.

?It is quite probably the case that in their keenness to act quickly on these issues, mistakes have been made. We are all human and we all make mistakes – I have no issue with that.

?It is also the fact that there is much disagreement within our industry as to the concept of sustainability generally. Is it about the materials we use? Is it about the processes used in textile production? Is it about volumes? And how do we account for social issues such as how factories treat their workers?

?The obvious answer is that all of these things should be considered. These are nuanced issues. I see that, for instance, there are still some debates around Science Based Targets, whether the correct parameters are being used, whether they targets are being properly set, the metrics involved and so on.

?My point here is that these things are complex and it is therefore no surprise to so see that mistakes have been made when trying to communicate them,

?My hope, however, is that the current debate around greenwashing does not force some businesses to go into their shells. And I am not just talking about fashion retailers, I am also referring here to garment manufacturers. We also need to make our voices heard on this critical subject.

?There are in fact many exciting innovations taking place in garment production at the moment. We as factory owners need to be ready to talk about these but I also hope that there is understanding among audiences when we try and tell our story. We will not always get our messaging right.

In our industry, I know of a number of companies that have gone quiet on sustainability issues in recent months. Perhaps this is because they are working behind the scenes to try get the messaging right and firm up any claims being made. I hope this is the case and that this reluctance to talk is not a permanent stance.

Yes, we need accuracy and honesty in our industry. But mistakes are part of human life and offer a learning curve for those involved. It is easy to be critical but being constructive and offering a future way forward – it takes a brave business to do that.