It’s no surprise that more and more brands are moving (or planning) to become more responsible. It makes sense, as consumers now are looking for brands that line with their own values, especially ones that are as open and honest as possible. For brands to market responsibly, it can lead to trust, strengthen loyalty and create a community of people dedicated to your product and to better the world.
If you’d like a refresher on responsible marketing and its main principles, you can read my latest blog about it!
Keeping up with The Kardashians
One of the biggest partnerships to happen in 2022 regarding sustainability is BooHoo’s new sustainability ambassador, Kourtney Kardashian. From the outside, the Kardashian released two new collections produced from recycled fibres and the ‘renting’ concept to keep the life cycle of clothes for longer sounds like a step in the right direction, but this may be a bad case of greenwashing.
Greenwashing, first termed in 1986 by environmentalist Jay Westervelt, is when a company makes false or misleading claims about how much they’re doing for the environment when in reality, they aren’t doing much. This practice by companies means consumers have to do their research before buying products; consumers today have to dive deeper into what their favourite brands are actually doing, and not just take their marketing for truth.
The controversy continues…
Controversy has followed this partnership since it’s announcement and it’s not hard to see why. BooHoo has been criticised in the past for its working conditions- in 2020, BooHoo came under fire regarding their Leister factory after an investigation found their employees were paid as little at £3.50 an hour. With their cheapest garments selling for £5 in this new range, many have found it difficult to see how their workers are paid at least a living wage.
BooHoo’s partnership with Kourtney Kardashian could’ve been a step in the right direction. BooHoo are not perfect, not many (if any) companies are. But this partnership could really start a turn of events that makes companies look a little more inside themselves. Maybe the partnership is nothing but a publicity stunt, but it’s a perfect example of how you can’t paint over the cracks (and maybe companies that want to be seen as sustainable should actively be sustainable?)
Instead of creating two new production lines, would the partnership not hold more meaning if Kourtney came in and updated a number of already active lines- BooHoo can show they’re moving to become more responsible and Kourtney still gets the high profile title despite not particularly having the right qualifications.
No one has the answers.
BooHoo has come out to confirm that yes, they do not have the answers, and they’re in fact shining a light on serious and difficult issues that face the fashion industry (according to a spokesperson.) So should we be patting them on the back? They are an inherent fast-fashion company, and while its strategy for sustainability looks good on the outside, the question remains whether it can be sustainable with such a shoddy business model.
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