GREENHUSHING OR THE ART OF KEEPING SILENT
Fashion, the second most polluting industry in the world after energy, continues to grow between social responsibility companies (CSR) and constant innovationsBut beware of greenwashing which we all know and which, for several years now, has been highlighted as sometimes being misused, especially for marketing purposes. In 2022, after a summer of overheating, it's time to dig deeper and understand what this new trend called the greenhushing.
L' " eco-silence ", as we could translate it into French, consists of to remain silent on sustainability efforts made by companies, and goes to against the grain of greenwashingThis trend is part of a approach of honesty where brands will not showcase their efforts in the public square, or will even keep them completely silent.
However, many labels are flourishing on product labels: Oeko-Tex, vegan, recycled or organic fabrics… But this is not enough for some associations which sometimes denounce theabuse of arguments or highlight vague promises such as, last September in the United Kingdom, with the Persil laundry detergent brand offering an advertisement which was banned from broadcast by the British authority for its environmental message not being clear enough.
We, the consumers, are in quest for transparency from companies, whether it is at the level of communication or on product labels, in order to be able to find our way in this nebula of explanations, efforts and messages received.
For example, the internationally known brand Patagonia, led by Yvon Chouinard – who recently made the decision to bequeath his empire to a trust and an environmental NGO – stated in an open letter that it does not use the word "sustainable" in its communication because the team is well aware that fashion is part of the climate problem; this also avoids being accused of opportunism, given that we know production takes place abroad, as is the case for most companies across all sectors.
The fashion sector is not the only one analyzed by consumers and organizations. Hotel groups, transportation, everyday products, and food are also included.
But it is important to remember that Sustainability is also timelessnesswith an approach that will raise consumer awareness about keeping parts and appliances longer than those born from the fast fashion for fashion or those built with planned obsolescence in mind for technology, and to open their eyes to the abuse of plastic in distribution and hospitality.
There is a real future challenge emerging here regarding the environmental responsibility of companies.
Jean de La Fontaine wrote in his fable The Bear and the Garden Enthusiast : "It is good to speak, but better to remain silent."continuing with: "But both are bad even though they are outraged." This extract highlights the importance of finding a balance in corporate communication so as not to overdo it while still sharing the sustainable efforts being made.
