Table of Contents
Greenwashing is one of the biggest challenges facing shoppers who want to make more responsible fashion choices. A brand might describe a product as “green,” “conscious,” or “eco-friendly,” but those words do not tell you much by themselves. The European Commission found that 53% of environmental claims it examined were vague, misleading, or unfounded, while 40% had no supporting evidence. That is why understanding how to evaluate fashion sustainability claims is crucial.
So what should you look at instead? The material, the certification, the factory, the information a company is willing to share, and whether the product is actually made to stay in use.
What Is Greenwashing?
Greenwashing is when a product, brand, or company appears more environmentally responsible than it really is. Fashion gives brands plenty of room to do this. A single word on a product page can create a certain impression without explaining what the word means or what part of the product it applies to.
Common examples of greenwashing in fashion include:
- A garment is called “natural,” but most of the fabric is polyester.
- A brand launches a small collection made with preferred materials while continuing to produce most of its clothes through a fast-fashion model.
- A product is called “green” or “conscious,” but the brand gives no information about the material, certification, factory, or production process.
This is where looking past the product description helps. A claim becomes easier to judge when a brand gives you something you can actually check.
Here are six things worth looking at.
6 Ways to Tell If a Fashion Brand Is Truly Sustainable
1. Skip the Buzzwords. Look for Specifics
“Green,” “eco-friendly,” “natural,” and “conscious” sound positive, but none of them tells you exactly what happened during production. A brand might use one of these terms because a particular material was used or it might refer to packaging. It might describe an entire collection. Or there may be very little behind the claim at all. The wording matters less than the details underneath it. Look for the actual material used, where it came from, whether a certification applies, which organisation issued it, and what part of the production process the claim covers. As demand for products with environmental and social considerations grows, this kind of language has become more common across fashion.
Related blog: 5 commonly used greenwashing terms
2. Check for Recognized Certifications
One of the easiest ways to evaluate a brand's sustainability claims is to look for third-party certifications. A certification can give shoppers something concrete to check, and can also tell you what was actually assessed. That does not mean a certified product has no environmental impact. Different certifications cover different parts of a product and its production.
| Certification | What It Verifies |
|---|---|
|
GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) 
|
Organic fiber content, environmental and social criteria for processing and manufacturing, and traceability throughout the post-harvest supply chain. |
Fair Trade
|
Fair wages, safer working conditions, and worker protections |
OEKO-TEX Standard 100
|
Testing for harmful substances in textiles and materials |
Bluesign
|
Responsible resource use and reduced environmental impact throughout production |
Related blog: 4 Textile Certifications You Need to Know
3. Demand Supply Chain Transparency
A product page can tell you what something is made from without telling you who made it.
A brand's sustainability efforts should be holistic, going beyond the product materials. Knowing the kind of material (natural vs plastic-based fibers) they prioritize, where and who makes the products (do they even vet the factories), and how much the company is willing to share about its supply chain is one way to look at the company’s approach to “sustainable business”.
Fashion Revolution's 2025 transparency index gave the major fashion brands it reviewed an average score of only 14%. It also found that 59% of the brands receiving a zero for traceability were publicly listed companies. There is a much larger labour issue behind these questions. The International Labour Organization estimates that 27.6 million people are living in forced labour worldwide. You do not need a brand to publish every detail of its business to shop thoughtfully. But if a company talks at length about being responsible and says almost nothing about the people making its products, that gap is worth noticing. Factory information, worker protections, wages, independent audits, and relevant certifications can give you a better idea of what happens beyond the website. Certifications such as Fair Trade can also provide a useful way to check a brand's social commitments.
4. Evaluate the Materials
The fibre in a garment matters. So does what happens to that fibre before it reaches a shop.
Polyester and nylon are made from fossil-based feedstocks, and their production requires carbon-intensive extraction. They are also prone to shedding microplastics with each wash, polluting our ecosystems and even entering our food chain. That does not make every natural fibre automatically better. Conventional cotton, for example, can involve synthetic pesticides and substantial water use. Textile Exchange reports on these issues in its work on cotton. Organic cotton avoids the use of most synthetic agricultural inputs and can reduce certain environmental pressures associated with conventional cotton production.
But the cotton itself is only one part of the story. After harvesting, fibres may be spun, woven or knitted, dyed, washed, finished, cut, and sewn. Those stages can involve chemicals, energy, water, and other inputs. This is why a product-level certification can tell you more than a simple statement that the raw material is organic.
5. Look for a Commitment to Longevity and Quality
A bag, pair of jeans, or jacket does not become a better choice simply because the material sounds preferable.
Think about how the item is made. Is the fabric substantial enough for everyday use? Are the seams well finished? Will you be able to see yourself in a few years wearing it or using it? Once the trend is gone, do you still want it? When you have to replace something every couple months, that’s another product bought, more materials and resources used and eventually thrown away.
A product that stays in use for years can make more sense than one that has a more appealing material claim but falls apart quickly. Durability does not solve every problem in fashion, but it is an easy part of a product to overlook.
6. Look at the Brand's Overall Business Practices
A company can use a preferred material and still have other practices worth questioning. Pay attention to how a brand treats and pays its workers. Does the company make enormous quantities of new products? Does it use excessive packaging? Does it talk about workers and factories, or only the finished item? It is also worth looking at whether the company gives back, supports causes outside its own business, and takes responsibility for its wider environmental and social impact. No company will have a perfect record. The more useful question is whether the company gives you enough information to understand what it is doing and where its limits are.
Closing Thoughts
There is no single label that can tell you everything about a piece of clothing.
A useful starting point is to slow down when a claim sounds impressive but says very little. Look for the material. Check the certification. Find out what the certification covers. See whether the company gives any information about its suppliers and production. Then think about how long you are likely to keep the product.
Smaller brands can face a different problem here. Some genuine businesses may not have the money or scale needed for every certification. In those cases, asking the brand direct questions can be more useful than dismissing it for the absence of a particular logo.
Knowing how to spot greenwashing helps consumers make more informed fashion choices and recognize misleading sustainability claims. Over time, these choices can help encourage greater transparency and higher standards across the industry.
FAQs
What is the difference between greenwashing and genuine sustainability?
Greenwashing relies on vague environmental or social marketing claims that cannot be verified. Genuine sustainability is supported by certifications, transparent reporting, measurable goals, and documented practices.
How do I know if a clothing brand is actually sustainable?
To assess a clothing brand's sustainability efforts, look for recognized certifications, transparent supply chain information, responsibly sourced natural materials, and a commitment to product durability.
Can organic cotton reduce environmental impact?
Organic cotton can reduce reliance on synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and lower environmental impacts compared to conventional cotton. However, the overall sustainability of a product also depends on manufacturing, transportation, and end-of-life considerations.
What certifications are most reliable in sustainable fashion?
Some of the most widely recognized certifications include GOTS, Fair Trade, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, and Bluesign.
Can small brands be genuinely sustainable?
Yes, they can. Sustainability is not determined by a company's size. Smaller brands can be just as committed to responsible sourcing, ethical production, and environmental stewardship as larger companies. It is important to note that certification costs can be high for small businesses. In this case, look for detailed transparency on their website or reach out directly with questions.
