What is Greenwashing?
We built our business over 18 years on Canadian-made products before shopping local was cool. Your enthusiasm to shop local means everything to us and is why our designers and ourselves keep evolving. However, in today’s fashion landscape, it can be hard to separate the fakes from the real deal when it comes to environmentally friendly clothing. We thought a little tutorial could provide a tool for you all when making your shopping choices.
Greenwashing refers to the practice of companies using the language of “helping the environment” to sell products that have the opposite effect. One way that they get away with this is by using buzzwords like “sustainable,” “eco-friendly,” and “natural.” These terms are not regulated and have no legally enforceable standard.
At Victoire, we know that certifications have meaning, especially for textiles! On our site, we always label when certain fabrics conform to international regulations. One that regularly appears for our brands is OEKO-TEX certified, meaning that the fabric has passed safety tests to confirm that it doesn’t contain harmful substances. Another is GOTS certified, which means it conforms to global standards for organic textiles.
Instead of saying a fabric is “natural,” we note the exact percentage for each piece, meaning you know exactly how much cotton, bamboo or linen is in it. As well, instead of using “recycled,” we note when designers use deadstock or upcycled fabric, as well as where they have sourced those materials.
Another greenwashing buzzword is “reducing emissions.” Fast fashion brands are international companies with global supply chains. Often their fabric comes from one continent, then is shipped to another to be sewn, before being shipped to another to be sold. Even if a large corporation says they are “reducing emissions,” the scale of the energy waste of the global process is truly enormous.
Canadian-made clothing means the clothing is produced and sewn here, resulting in a much shorter distance to travel. As well, Canadian designers often target a domestic audience, shipping to customers in the same country, province and even city! This means Canadian-made garments have far less emissions than international ones, since they have traveled a much shorter distance to find a home in your closet.
Another problem is overproduction. Even if big brands are truly using regulated textiles and reducing emissions, the amount of products made in the first place is staggering. How can a brand truly be sustainable when they are releasing hundreds of new styles every single week?
On the other hand, independent clothing designers usually have two collections per year: one for Fall/Winter and one for Spring/Summer. These designers put an enormous amount of thought, care and curation into their collections. And much to our occasional chagrin (AKA when one size sells out way faster than we thought), the amount of pieces produced is intentionally limited to counter overproduction.
The most sustainable way to consume clothing is to buy less overall and re-wear what you already own. When you shop Canadian-made, the quality will be much higher than something produced for fast fashion, meaning your clothes and accessories have a much longer life cycle. While it might cost a bit more up-front, investing in well-made pieces to love and wear for years to come is one of the best strategies for ethical clothing consumption.
Victoire is continuously evolving to close the loop in our consumption cycle, which is one of the reasons we introduced Vintage Victoire a little over a year ago. Since then, we have taken back many, many pieces and given them a second life either via in-store events, selling them online or donating to local women's organizations like Dress for Success and Cornerstone Housing for Women.
Learn More about Vintage Victoire
