#Greenwashing & the sustainable fashion landscape...my key takeaways from today's clubhouse discussion (a thread)

(Thanks to all contributors including @ruthmacgilp @kateaugusteuk @LoraGene @FreyaRosedale @LydiaBolton16 @MakeItBritish @FashInsidersCo)

1. Fast fashion have adopted #sustainability language for specific elements of their supply chain (like materials)

Their volume of production makes them inherently unsustainable but their huge market voice allows them to influence consumer perception of what sustainability is.

This is a problem because consumer demand is a driving force. If consumers don't demand full lifecycle sustainability (including production volume) the industry won't change - and that's what fast fashion wants. Their current business model is under threat.

2. The way round this is legislation and developing standards - standard definitions and 3rd party verification.

Lobbying government for regulation, encouraging advertising standards against #greenwashing, and pushing for clearer labelling and verification schemes.

3. But this is still a problem for small brands and manufacturers who can't afford the time and money investment to achieve these 3rd party certifications. Especially as consumers still expect fashion (even ethical and sustainable) to be available on the cheap.

Why do they expect this? Because fast fashion sell conscious collections as loss leaders to get people buying more in store. People don't realise this or know the true cost. They'll drop £500 on a Zara haul and complain a £70 ethical garment is expensive. Volume at fault again!

4. Which brings us back to legislation. Shift the burden of proof away from brands doing the right thing, to holding brands accountable who aren't truly embedding sustainability.

To do this, we need to lobby government.

5. Government don't understand fashion supply chains or sustainability at the level needed. They look to big brands for advice. We need to mobilise to make the (currently smaller) voices of the sustainability movement heard at a louder volume.

6. And we need to make sure everyone is heard in that conversation. Currently many are excluded from sustainable fashion - we talked in particular about plus size people. Intersectionality, inclusivity and accessibility must be prioritised.

7. #SustainableFashion won't achieve full mass market appeal until we make things easy and convenient for consumers and meet their expectations. Some expectations may be unrealistic (like price) so we need to shift the market and re-educate through legislation.

Finally, a lot of these big problems don't have answers yet. But the key theme seems to be collaboration.

Our voice needs to be louder than the fast fashion giants profiting from and lobbying for the status quo.

Time to join together and use our people power!