Editorial: "Greenhushing"-- why textile and apparel companies are under reporting or hiding their sustainability achievements

Editorial: "Greenhushing" why textile and apparel companies are under reporting or hiding their sustainability achievements

"Greenhushing"--a term used to describe the practice of deliberately choosing to hide green or environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) credentials--is being adopted increasingly by players in the textile and apparel industry as a result of intense scrutiny and criticism that companies are making false claims about their environmental credentials, or criticism that companies are not progressing towards environmental sustainability as far or as fast as they should be. In fact, such scrutiny and criticism could be hampering progress towards environmental sustainability rather than encouraging it. In this report, Robin Anson analyses some of the reasons why greenhushing is on the increase. Also, he reports on two greenwashing lawsuits being pursued against a major fashion apparel brand which is alleged to have made false claims about its take-back and recycling programme, and is alleged to have misled consumers into believing that its products are more environmentally friendly than they actually are.