Not Buying It Digital Mag

THE MAG THAT BIG FASHION DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ

The fashion affair that’s got us talking We’re doing self-care wrong Read this month’s HORRORscopes Your sustainable fashion questions, answered

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Let’s get social!

@notbuyingitmag

This mag was dreamt up by Mel Watt and Yalda Keshavarzi, and lovingly designed by Molly Porteous, but it wouldn’t have been possible without help from the sustainable fashion community. Big love to Lauren Rees for proofreading Daisy Tod for creative direction Thalia Leahy for photography Ronaé Fagon, Liv Simpliciano & Penny Salman for modelling The models are styled in a mix of old, thrifted, borrowed, and handmade pieces from our shared wardrobes. 99% of props and accessories were sourced secondhand because preloved is here to stay.

This mag is completely free to read and share. If you enjoy flicking through it, please consider showing some love by donating a coffee <3

2 EDITORS’ NOTE 4 IT’S NOT ME, IT’S YOU

This Agony Aunt says brands should look in the mirror

6 WTF IS GREENWASHING?!

Straight outta the toxic ex playbook

8 OK, SO WHAT?

Newsflash: more than a marketing ick

9 LET’S PLAY BUZZWORD BINGO Decode the PR spin

10 A PHOTO = 1K WORDS Behind the green sheen

12 DON’T MAKE PROMISES YOU CAN’T KEEP Fashion’s flakiest exes exposed

14 IT’S GETTING HOT IN HERE Big Fashion’s in love with Big Oil

34 WHAT KIND OF GREENWASH GIRLY ARE YOU? The system sucks but we all cope differently

35 I FELL FOR GREENWASHING And all I got was this _____________

36 HORRORSCOPES

Your wardrobe’s darker secrets, revealed

37 DON’T GET PLAYED BY BRANDS Play our games instead

38 SO WHERE DO I SHOP?

Answering the question on everyone’s lips

40 THANK YOU, NEXT

Read me before your next purchase

41 ECO OR OH NO?

Will your fave brands pass the test?

16 NEVER HAVE I EVER

42 YOU ARE SO MUCH MORE THAN A CONSUMER

18 THIS OR THAT: CIRCULARITY EDITION

44 WE’RE DOING SELF-CARE WRONG

20 THE GREENWASHING HALL OF SHAME

46 A SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR THE BROKE & ETHICAL

Saving the planet? Big fashion CBA Stop cherry picking – give us the whole pie Putting the ‘liar’ in circularity

Don’t let capitalism convince you otherwise A facemask is fun but is it really healing?

Sustainable fashion is something you do – not buy

22 THE CALL IS COMING FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE

47 AFFIRMATIONS FOR SUSTY BABES

24 THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA

49 HOT OR NOT?

26 WHAT’S IN THEIR IT BAG?

50 READ MY LIPS

28 GET YOU A BRAND WHO DOES IT ALL

51 GIMME, GIMME MORE

30 YOU CAN’T ERASE US

53 JOIN THE CLUB

Certified green or certified greenwashing?

And the media laps it up every time Inside influencers’ bag of tricks

A laundry list of everything-washing

Putting the people in ‘people and planet’

32 WHAT, LIKE IT’S HARD?

How to call out greenwashing with your besties

We see it, we want it, we got it

Greenwashing is so last season The future of fashion, your way Juicy recommendations for an energy boost Get in loser, we’re going offline

Editors' Note Plastic cowboy boots might’ve died and gone to microtrend heaven, but the fashion industry still feels like the Wild West. In this lawless land, brands say one thing and do another, recycle their commitments (unlike their clothes), and make sustainability confusing AF. We’re sick of the cowboy antics, so we made the playful guide we wish we had when we first started our own journeys.

Greenwashing is just one issue in an industry riddled with them, but it tells us a lot. Like how brands constantly try to hide exploitation in their supply chains, or scapegoat shoppers for a mess we didn’t make. Greenwashing is basically the shiny marketing arm for business as usual, convincing us that change is happening when really, it’s not. It’s dangerous because it works. It delays, distracts, and sidelines the human side of fashion at a time when we need the exact opposite.

If you’ve ever wondered how so many of the world’s injustices – gender inequality, racism, the genocide in Palestine, or ICE raids of garment factories – are quietly stitched together, keep reading. It’s all connected.

If we’re being honest (which we always are!), a lot of fashion and climate content is confusing, boring or, worse, judgey.

Years of greenwashing and broken promises have turned sustainable fashion into a bit of a turn-off. We’re here to put the sexy back in sustainability.

melwatt Mela fair@_fash craftivist. ion campaigner, creative, and

Mel is ioning bag charms out She loves sipping sangria, fash million miles a second. a g of scrap fabrics, and yappin vs), brands commodifying She hates greenwashing (ob ion-ification of trinkets. community, and the fast fash Maneater

Nelly Furtado

Yalda @yaldakeshupter, a campaign organiser,

Yalda is a fair fashion disr s making earrings and a writer, and a poet. She love microtrend (did someone say uncovering the next TikTok hates corporate feminism, water-based cooking?) She igners, and the unhinged brands ripping off small des s. obsession with Stanley Cup Steal My Sunshine Len

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So what can you expect? No preaching. No gatekeeping.

No shying away from the hard stuff. There’s a lot of sad truths, yes – but there’s also joy, hope, inspo, and action. We don’t just talk about how bad the industry is; we share what we, as people with the capacity to channel our inner Elle Woods at any given moment, can do to change it together.

Not Buying It reimagines the magazines of our girlhood to expose the scandalous world of greenwashing. Think flaky exes, flaming hot affairs, and more red flags than a Love Island recoupling. We’ve also got horrorscopes, quizzes, and our very own Agony Aunt. For the full experience, press play on our curated playlist while you read (you’re welcome!)

The point of this mag isn’t to cancel fashion full-stop. We love it! We adore dressing up and curating our style as much as the next babe. And it’s because we love the craft that we want so much more – for the planet, for the people who make our clothes, and for us all.

This mag couldn’t possibly cover everything – something Virgo diva Mel has had to make peace with – but it does dive deep into some of the UK’s most Oh Major Greenwashing (OMG) moments. If you love what you read, follow @notbuyingitmag for even more hot takes, future print issues and invites to hang out IRL. More on that on page 53.

All that’s left to say is: we hope you love this mag as much as we loved creating it!!

Mel & Yalda xo

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, e m t o n it's s you it' s y a s t n u A y n o g This A nds should look bra the mirror in

Mirrors

Justin Timberlake

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Q

A

Dear Solidari-Tea, The climate crisis, worker exploitation, textile waste – I’m fed up with feeling like everything is my fault! I care about all of these issues and do what I can, like shopping less and mostly secondhand. But it still feels like anything I do is undone by the wealthy CEOs jetting around on private planes and paying garment workers pennies!! There’s so much pressure on us to “do our bit” but how is that fair when brands and governments literally do nothing?! And don’t get me started on how confusing it is knowing who to trust. I’m honestly exhausted.

Please help a gal out,

Miss Informed

Hi hun,

there. The guilt, the fatigue, the low-key spiral. But here’s First of all: you are so not alone in feeling this way. I’ve been quo of the system we live in. Brands that profit off the status the thing: that guilt? It’s not a personal flaw; it’s a product a lot got I way, this feel to they win. Once I realised we’re made benefit every time we feel powerless. When we burn out, better at letting it go. take your power back. For now, let me introduce you to the On pages 42-46, we share lots of joyful, collective ways to t from fall guys the industry points its grubby fingers at to deflec fashion industry’s fave trick: scapegoating. Here are the its own mess.

Scapegoat #1:

Literally anyone who wears clothes ittleThing and Zara claim they’re “responding to consumer In a public display of audacity (PDA), brands like PrettyL ed shopping apps. Buy now, pay later schemes. Flash demand” - as if we begged for the constant newness! Gamifi rigged it. sales. Constant “last chance!” emails. It’s a game, and they’ve just g impulsive purchases through no choice of our own. We Of course, I’m not saying we’re all brainwashed into makin we than more far year, each lised producing billions of clothes can’t ignore the fact that Big Fashion has heavily norma tion without overproduction. It’s not all down to us. nsump overco could ever need or ask for. You can’t have

Scapegoat #2:

Fast Fashion (at least, if you’re a luxury brand) love to act like they’re above it all, but they’re basically playing The spiderman meme brought to life, designer brands is of LVMH’s billionaire CEO) once infamously said “luxury the same game in designer drag. Antoine Arnault (son and Gucci, i, rs’ rights scandals involving Montblanc, Arman sustainable by nature”. Cute. Except, a recent string of worke Dior has debunked this myth for good. with inbuilt ethics. With overlapping supply chains, The inconvenient truth is that luxury price tags don’t come worker scandals, the differences between luxury and fast comparable carbon footprints, and a shared history of and, if you’re lucky, the quality. fashion are getting fewer. The only real difference? Cost

Scapegoat #3:

Their suppliers

but...” a sentence that starts with “We don’t own the factories Scroll long enough on a brand’s site and you’ll likely find the for es factori es around the world. But when you squeeze It’s true that brands outsource manufacturing to factori just They terms. ce the working conditions. They set the lowest prices and the shortest lead times, you 100% influen don’t want the responsibility. als or act like ensuring living wages is too difficult a task.

Brands are quick to distance themselves from public scand power-holders. So long story short? It’s about time the It’s really not. These brands are the profit-makers and the stopped insisting everybody else is to blame. fashion industry took a long hard look in the mirror, and feeling isn’t yours to carry. And the fatigue? Totally valid.

I hope it offers you some relief to know that the guilt you’re ir and leave their sh*tty actions unchecked. Because that’s But don’t let it turn into apathy. Don’t fall into a pit of despa satisfaction, babe. exactly what Big Fashion wants. Don’t ever give them the is that you care.

Keep reading and keep questioning. What matters most

ea Solidari-T

You’ve got this,

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Wtf is greenwashing?

Straight outta the toxic ex playbook Greenwashing is like the eco version of catfishing.

Brands’ Tinder profiles might say ‘6ft, feminist & <3 the planet’, but, IRL, their business models are pretty ugly.

Please, Please, Please Sabrina Carpenter

Peel back the layers of Brat green gloss and you’ll usually find a camouflaged history of worker exploitation, polluted landscapes, and piles of landfill-destined stock. For our Drag Race fans, it’s like Jaida Essence Hall yelling “look over there!” – a distraction tactic for an otherwise mid performance.

As public appetite for sustainability has grown, brands have thrown us crumbs of change, but baby, we deserve the whole cake. Sound familiar? That’s because greenwashers are basically your toxic ex. They tell you what you want to hear, swear they’ve changed, and make the same mistakes on repeat. All talk, no action, and deffo no accountability!

We’re so done with being duped. Borrowing The Climate Propagandist’s toxic ex model, here are some red flags to look out for:

Love Bombing:

They come on strong wit h sweet green promises.

It’s all a bit too much, too soon . Think “Donate your old clothes and get a gift voucher to buy more” or a flashy “ec o-edit” that’s the same stuff in a different filter. It’s all desig ned to sweep you off your fee t and distract you from the red flags piling up in the corne r.

Seducing:

Nothing turns heads like sexy marketing campaig ns, $500 influencer hauls, and celeb collabs. It’s all about turning you on an d cashing in. SKIMS nip ple bra, anyone?

Cheating:

There’s three people in this relationship. You, yo ur ex, and the fossil fuel ind ustry. Even if they swea r off polyester, they can’t res ist coal-powered factor ies, or a cheeky bit of air sh ipping on the side.

Sustainabi That’s ho lity? t ;)

Lying:

They won’t tell outright lies – they’re too slick for that.

But they’ll twist the truth or leave out the good stu ff.

Like how their “eco line ” is only 5% of their entire range, or how that “organic co tton” is just 20% of the fabric. op t st Can’ king thin t u(r abou uction prod ls) leve

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TLDR Greenwashing is essentially sustainability messaging that’s tinged green in a glossy, deceptive shade of BS.

r o u Noo exy 2 2 s enwash gre :(

Hey e you u missions, p? <3

Gaslighting:

Greenwashing trick s us into thinking ev erything is ok and our eco anxiety is OT T. It’s not, especially when the industry spends millions lobby ing against regulation , and brands get trade associatio ns to do their dirty wo rk for them.

Don’t fall for their lat est “I’m the good gu y” routine.

Blame shifting:

Because they could never be the problem ! Suddenly it’s your fault for not washing your clothes on a cold cycle. Brands love to point the finger at an yo ne themselves. It’s giving but deflection.

The grand gesture

:

There’s no mistake th ey can’t spend their way out of.

Forget flowers and ch ocolates, this is full re brand energy. They’ll buy th eir way back into your heart with discounts, cash givea ways, and exclusive pop-ups.

The silent treatme

nt:

You’ve called them ou t again and now it’s ghost town. You’re left wond ering if any of it – the promises, the pledg es, the 3am texts – wa s ever real. The truth is ugly but at least it’s th e truth.

Still don’t kno w whether to believe them them? Don’t or dump worry, we’ll b reak down al tactics and m l these ore, so you ca n see fashion the toxic exe brands for s they really ar e (Spoiler ale just green clai rt: it’s not ms giving us the ick).

BTW not all g reenwashing is intentional; it’s sloppy mar sometimes keting, missin g data, or a to misundersta tal nding of the science. But clueless or ca whether it’s lculated, the consequence the same: co s are still nfusion, inac tio n, and harm. to learn more Read on .

When it com es to the culp rits, the usual aren’t who yo suspects u might think.

It’s not just fa brands – the st fashion Boohoos, H& Ms, and She world – it’s b ins of the ig-name luxu ry houses, sp retailers, and ortswear accessory b rands too. Th this mag, we roughout refer to them as ‘Big Fashio commonly u n’ – a term sed to descri be the powe million pound rful, multibrands domin ating the ind As long as th ustry. eir business models depe exploitation, nd on pollution, and waste, Big Fas never be sust hion can ainable. Any suggestion o Greenwashin therwise? g.

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...

All notes

Done

OK, SO WHAT?!

Newsflash: more than a marketing ick Greenwashing is bad news for everyone – here’s why: 1. It’s literally everywhere: Like clothing tags, window displays, influencer captions, press releases, and “eco” packaging. In 2021, a mega 59% of green claims made on Big Fashion sites were misleading. This figure rose to 96% for H&M. 2. It works scarily well: When greenwashing gets lapped up by the media or, worse, wins awards, is it any surprise that UK shoppers named H&M, Nike, Primark, M&S, and Amazon the top five most sustainable brands?!

3. It breaks our trust: Not just in the brands, but in the science. Yes, even the good ones get caught in the fallout! It’s why 7 in 10 Brits no longer trust brands’ green claims.

4. It’s evolving: Widespread distrust and global regulations are forcing brands to switch up. We’ve gone from loud campaigns, green leaf icons, and “buy this to save the planet” to more subtle tactics that are even harder to call out. Some brands are ditching sustainability altogether, using fears of being accused of greenwashing as a Get Out of Jail Free card to backtrack on their commitments. It’s a big reality check, proving they never cared or tried in the first place.

5. It fuels climate breakdown: While brands convince us that everything is going to be just fine, billions of clothes are still being churned out – polluting rivers, destroying biodiversity, and heating the planet in real time.

6. It erases garment workers: Brands love the phrase “people and planet” but then completely forget about the people part. Greenwashing gets us fixated on pineapple leather or ocean plastic while garment workers stay underpaid, overworked, and unprotected. If your “sustainable” bag was made in a factory paying poverty wages, it’s not sustainable. Period.

7. It stalls legislation: If policymakers are duped into thinking brands are voluntarily changing, they won’t feel the need to properly regulate the industry. What we really need is accountability on speed dial.

If greenwashing vanished overnight, it wouldn’t solve all of fashion’s problems BUT it would help us to focus on what actually matters: transparency, accountability, and justice for people and the planet. For real.

Boy’s a liar Pt. 2 PinkPantheress

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Let’s play!

Shut Up

Buzzword Bingo

Black Eyed Peas

Decode the PR spin

Without a universally agreed definition, sustainability is basically in the mouth of the beholder – which is a serious issue when that mouth belongs to an unethical brand trying to seduce you with its latest “eco-friendly” drop.

Or should we say: “organic”, “carbon neutral”, “green”, “natural”, “recycled”, “circular”, and “regenerative”...

These buzzwords have been so overused, they’ve become totally meaningless. Here’s some examples of how: With no

e?!

“More sustainable”: Than what, bab re sustainable” be “mo clear criteria, brands could claim to clable or switching recy da) (kin ing kag just for making pac brand can’t tell you to a micro percentage of hemp. If a tainable”, we’re not exactly what makes something “sus buying it. Literally.

“Biodegradable”: Sorry SKIMS, but if your “sheer cotton” range is actually part oil, you don’t get a trophy for having compostable packaging – especially when it’s not.

Its order bags shout “I AM NOT PLASTIC” in big, bold caps, but the tiny ‘4’ symbol reveals it’s made of LDPE AKA: plastic. LDPE isn’t naturally biodegradable or homecompostable as the bag claims. It’ll take hundreds of years to break down just like the shapewear inside.

Top tip

If a brand drops a buzzword without a clear definition and proof to back it up, assume the worst, hun.

“Eco-f

riendly”: This one just makes after the UK w us cringe. Even atchdog dragg ed Boohoo for and calling som greenwashing e plastic-heavy products “eco slapping that la ”, it’s still bel on its marke tplace. Nothing “eco friendly” lik scre e a part-cotton, part-plastic Bow ams – good luck re cycling that ble ie tee nd! There’s no transparency, proof, no just vibes.

“Vegan”: Introducing the it-girl of buzzwords. It’s

easier to slap a vegan label on plastic clothes than do the real work of phasing out synthetics. “Pleather” sounds tacky, but rebrand it as “vegan leather” and suddenly it’s ethical, luxurious, and worth £500+ (looking at you, Stella McCartney). Reality check: we hate exploitation in leather production and the fact that so many “vegan” alternatives are plastic. Totally plastic-free options do exist, but lots of plant-based leathers still use a plastic coating. House of Sunny’s Knitwear but Vegan line? Plastic. That H&M x PETA collab? More plastic. Vegan shoe brands like KOI? So much plastic.

“Durable”: Everlane saw “natural beauty” rebrand to “clean beauty”, and started calling itself clean luxury.

It’s part of a wider trend where brands are claiming new buzzwords that won’t bug out policymakers. Enter: durable. Primark’s fave buzzword makes it sound like its clothes are built to last, which they are. But only because Primark uses a LOT of synthetics, plastic fibres that take hundreds of years to break down, never fully decomposing. Primark can justify plans to increase its use of plastic fibres because they technically fit the durability criteria. Just because something can last for a lifetime, doesn’t mean it should, hun! : Shein’s [Insert “better” collection here] n, and

Re-Nylo EvoluSHEIN, Zara’s Join Life, Prada’s brands have had Asda’s George for Good – most big e point or other. These their little green side hustle at som than our mini skirts “sustainable” collections are tinier itting the rest of their which is a pretty weird way of adm those “better” pieces? clothes are trash for the planet. But hetics and massThey’re usually still littered with synt It’s the same stuff just produced in exploitative conditions. with a shiny green sticker stuck on.

Top tip

Synthetic = polyester, nylon & acrylic = plastic.

Peep page 14 for the full goss.

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A photo = 1K words

Behind the green sheen leafy Earthy tones, models frolicking in nature, and ons ficati certi icons that look suspiciously like legit ly erate delib ls – it’s all hella convincing. These visua lity inabi susta tap into our mental associations with . before we’ve even had time to read the fine print

Guess

Charli XCX feat. Billie Eilish

So we’re putting it to the test: how easily can you spot the green from the greenwash?

Spot the difference! (level: easy)

AKA 14% 44% polyester.linPenol, 44% viscose & doesn’t have the sayester blend just me ring to it!

Nothing gives you a hangover like a cocktail of cotton and synthetics!

H&M’s Conscious Collection walked so Big Fashion’s “better” collections could run. Between 2010 and 2020, H&M launched an annual collection using “more sustainable” materials. In reality? The range had 11% more synthetics than its main collection. Calling it Conscious was also a bold move for a brand with a pretty unconscious track record.

Later came Conscious Choice, a year-round indicator that a product was made from “at least 50% more sustainable materials like organic cotton and recycled polyester”. The problem was it leaned heavily on a shaky data standard.

As we were writing this mag, the label suddenly turned cream. It happened around the same time NEXT phased out its NEXT Generation product tag, likely in response to a UK greenwashing crackdown (more on that on page 32!) That hasn’t stopped H&M from promoting suss fibre blends and recycled polyester. New colour, same tokenism!

Answer: you might need to go to Specsavers if you can’t spot the differences!

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After pressure from Norwegian and Dutch consumer watchdogs and a class action lawsuit (later dismissed), H&M was forced to pull the label in 2022. The word conscious was gone but the suggestive green remained.

! s i h t n o i t p a C

Share your best lines at not-buying-it.co.uk!

t because a el was recently phasoseeddlou de from y Fun fact: This lab es are now supp fibres”.maTell that lot of Primark’s closuthsta ed rc sou bly !! “recycled or more make ina re “durable” fossil fashion mo to ns pla ur to yo

imark’s We’re confused: is the heart for Pr love of greenwashing… or just profit?

Cute lil leaf and earth icons? Adorable.

But unless brands take action, the only thing the next generation has to look forward to is climate breakdown…

Who's who?

(Guess the brand, level: hard)

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x

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After a lil browse on these brands’ sites, you’ll quickly spot a beige trend. In a desperate race to stay relevant, fast fashion brands are scrambling to rebrand as mid-market labels selling “elevated essentials”. They’re catfishing as “quiet luxury” brands where the luxury part is so silent, it’s nonexistent. It’s strategic AF: 1) Distance from ultra-fast fashion brands like Shein.

2) Cash in on the luxury market’s decline.

3) Compete with influencer brands charging £££ for polyes ter.

Everyone’s at it.

PrettyLittleThing celebrated its new cursive logo and demure colour palette with an A-list celeb party.

Minimum effort, maximum harm.

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Boohoo Group renamed itself Debenhams Group (?!), as if that could ever erase years of scandal.

H&M Studio keeps popping up at fashion weeks.

GAP and Uniqlo have Creative Directors with designer clout.

Prices have gone up. But worker wages or fabric qualit y?

Not so much.

We’re entering a new era of greenwashing. Brands might’ve toned down the buzzwords and leaf icons - thanks, UK regulation - but the rebrand is in full swing. It’s all a delulu attempt to escape their scandalous reputations.

Big Fashion will rebrand everything except its soaring emissions, waste mountains, and worker exploitation.

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Answers: 1) PrettyLittleThing (clues: old unicorn branding, British brand, burgundy rebrand, and butter yellow trend), 2) Zara (clues: funky model poses, Spanish brand, and inventor of fast fashion), 3) Maebe (clues: quiet luxury-esque blazer, Love Island winner, and British brand)

DON’T MAKE PROMISES YOU CAN’T KEEP FASHION’S FLAKIEST EXES EXPOSED

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Think brands are held accountable for all their glossy sustainability claims? Think again.

“Net-zero by 2040!”, “50% recycled materials by 2030!”, “A totally circular future!” - the fashion industry loves making promises that are as slippery as the snake wrapped around Britney at the VMAs. It’s giving green crowding, where brands make bold sustainability claims, huddle together in voluntary initiatives, then dip the second no one’s looking.

Companies have mastered the art of sounding proactive while doing the bare minimum. Every brand is “striving toward” or “aspiring to” change without actually trying. Canadian policymakers recently clocked this greenwishing: brands set ambitious targets and lap up the PR with no actionable roadmap or progress updates in sight. BRB, we’re still waiting to hear how Lululemon will ditch coal by 2030.

Brands throw out vague promises in the hopes we never actually bother to check-in. Cue the target being watered down or dropped entirely when we look away. The only thing Big Fashion recycles is its commitments, as if we wouldn’t notice them backtracking!

We always check the fine print: Crocs’ net zero goal? Pushed back a decade from 2030 to 2040. laid Nike’s sustainability team? Partially It’. ng Doi t ‘Jus off last year – so much for ets?

Walmart’s emissions reduction targ tion duc pro its re sha sn’t It conveniently doe uctions red the if idea no e hav emissions so we . ting oun acc tive are real or just crea ssions Chanel’s low carbon pledge? Its emi jumped by 67% in 2021. ent workers H&M’s promise to pay 850,000 garm expired. truly a living wage by 2018? Well and

Two thirds of billionaire fashion brands are still way off track to meet their climate goals.

Voluntary initiatives: the secret they don’t want you to spill They might mean well but voluntary schemes are usually just Get Out of Jail Free cards – here’s why:

All bark, no bite

Voluntary initiatives sound impressive... until you realise no one’s actually enforcing them. ACT hasn’t delivered living wages for millions of workers.

Not a single member of The Microfibre Consortiu m is actively phasing out synthetics to curb micropla stic pollution. SBTi membership hasn’t led to dras tic carbon cuts. You get the point. Brands know this: many of them are also members of the Internatio nal Accord which is legally binding, and has genu inely improved factory safety in Bangladesh and Pakis tan.

It’s almost like accountability works!

All hype, no hustle

Stragglers - the brands who do nothing - bene fit from the Beyonces of the group. In 2019, 160 bran ds joined The Fashion Pact and pledged to have 50% renewables in their operations by 2025. A third had already hit that goal by 2020, yet everyone got to hide behind the group average. Also watch out for schemes that only share group milestones, not individual updates. They’re perfect cover for bran ds dragging their feet.

Conflict of interest much?

Those with the deepest pockets usually call the shots, and voluntary schemes are no different.

High membership fees or board seats give brands way more sway. Without independent oversight, they usually end up protecting corporate interests.

It’s why an EU tool for measuring fibre impacts nearly gave synthetics a free pass. It was built by the very bran ds making bank from fossil fashion!

They stall actual laws

The biggest red flag? Brands use these sche mes to trick policymakers into thinking they’re doin g enough voluntarily. And, let’s be real, policymak ers look for any excuse to look the other way. Anot her goal for Team Greenwash.

Enough with the fake promises, we need the receipts Here’s the truth: fashion’s sustainability scene is basically a school group project where everyone slaps their name on the assignment, but no one actually does the damn thing.

Enough with the sweet talk. What we actually need is laws that force brands to make less, cut emissions, and pay fairly. They can’t manifest their way out of this one.

Complicated Avril Lavigne

Next time you see a glossy sustainability pledge without a sound strategy, remember: It’s not a guarantee, it’s just PR.

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It’s getting hot in here Big Fashion’s in love with Big Oil Want to know something filthy? The fashion industry is in bed with Big Oil. It’s a match made in hell.

Fossil fuels aren’t just in the polyester, nylon, and acrylic we wear; they’re at every stage of the supply chain. From the oil-based pesticides and fuel-guzzling machinery that farm natural fibres, to the chemical dyes that finish fabrics, to the coal-powered factories that stitch them together, to the planes that fly clothes in plastic packaging halfway across the world to be hung on plastic hangers… you won’t find a more committed marriage.

Breaking up with fossil fuels starts with dumping single-use synthetics, but it also means resisting any fossil fuelpowered rebounds.

Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s microplastics The heartbreaking truth is that just under two thirds of new clothes are made from fashion’s fave fibre: polyester. Shein, Zara, Calvin Klein, Boohoo, and Lululemon are some of the biggest synthetic users in the business. It’s tragic because polyester is:

Too hot to handle:

r releases over The fashion industry’s lust for polyeste es every year.

100 million tonnes of greenhouse gas sweaty, nonWe’re literally heating the planet for in a climate crisis. breathable fits that are pretty useless

Polluting AF:

fully biodegrades, Polyester will outlive us all. It never to break down in rs yea and can take more than 200 . Oh, and awful for able dur landfill. That’s a little bit too t. the surrounding environmen

Toxic AF:

polyester, isn’t toxic While PET, the most popular type of -irritating chemicals, on its own, it can be treated with skin n incinerated. and releases toxic substances whe

Too close to home:

ics that have Synthetics shed teeny tiny microplast s, and even lung d, bloo been found everywhere – got a spoonful ve we’ e mat breast milk. Scientists esti heads. our in nd arou of microplastics sloshing . food n brai to Gives a whole new meaning

If that’s not bad enough, it also has hidden links to Russian oil, and indirectly funds the war in Ukraine. The fashion industry knows all of this, but still shows no signs of slowing down.

14

It’s not rescued – it’s rediverted Brands love to shout about recycled polyester, but it’s not the saviour they want us to believe in. While slightly better than the virgin stuff, it carries a lot of the same baggage.

98% of recycled polyester is made from plastic bottles, which sounds good until you realise: Plastic bottles can be recycled into more bottles.

Recycled polyester can’t be turned back into fabric over and over.

We’re just delaying waste, not eliminating it.

This is downcycling: a short-term fix at best, not a longterm solution. Brands want brownie points for “rescuing” polyester from landfill. Think of it more as a temporary diversion, one that still ends with plastic in the bin.

We also can’t help rolling our eyes when…

It’s only partly recycle

d:

Adidas’ “100% iconic, 50 % recycled” ad was pu lled for misleading shoppe rs. That 50% only appli ed to part of the shoe. Lindsay, Britney, and Paris papp ed in the same car? Now tha t’s iconic.

It’s fake ocean plastic

:

A Dispatches investigati on found that the Adida sx Parley collection wasn’t salvaging ocean plastic.

It was actually made from plastic bottles handed ou t to guests at a “plastic-fr ee” resort. Want another example? SEAWOOL® (ad orbs name) isn’t wool fou nd at sea. It’s a mix of oyste r shells and plastic bottle s.

It’s made from pre-co

nsumer w

aste: AKA production scraps that never became real clo thes.

We’re not sure that coun ts as “recycling”, bestie.

s. t synthet”ic o g e ’v e . w , corner al f ibres “ In the rerdeen corner: natur In the g sial fight!

a controver Get your popcorn ready for bets on synthetics being While you might place your think natural fibres the worst of the worst, others of the hot seat. are an underdog deserving saying one as ple But it’s not quite as sim ster sheds lye Po . is fab and the other is not rofibres (which mic ds microplastics. Cotton she ster is oil-heavy. degrade more quickly). Polye Polyester is made from ve. nsi Cotton can be water-inte treated with oil-based oil. Lots of natural fibres are thing as a perfect fabric. chemicals. There’s no such volume. ally miss out is the issue of What these fibre wars usu you. much of anything is bad for As your doc will tell you, too e, her ch air time. It’s everyw It’s why polyester gets so mu the ng emissions follow. To hit and when usage soars, risi ay from aw , we need to be moving brakes on fashion’s impact . ms fuels in all its sneaky for overproduction and fossil ials that work cklist to help you pick mater On page 41, we share a che tter but volume does too. for you. Remember: fibres ma

Toxic

Britney

Brands are buying time we don’t have If recycled polyester reduced the need for virgin polyester, we’d be slightly less salty. But it hasn’t. The facts speak for themselves: polyester production is going up, not down, and with it, fashion’s emissions and demand for fossil fuels and fracking.

Recycled polyester is a classic delay-and-distract move.

Instead of producing less synthetic clothing, brands repackage the same problem with a green label.

Welcome to Big Fashion’s arsenal of deceit:

Ignoring the science:

e cast doubt on Deja vu? Like how Big Oil onc nds claim they need climate science, fashion bra on microplastics “more research” before acting evidence of its ing (blissfully ignoring the mount s). environmental and health risk

TL DR

You might be no ticing a theme.

Brands love giving us a taste of change (recycled polyester) but ha ve no intention baking the who of le damn cake (p hasing out virgin synthe tics). “Boy bye” is only stage one of the breakup, but brands are failing hard and still ca lling fossil fuels “babe”.

tiatives:

Hiding behind voluntary ini

to The Microfibre Lots of brands are signed up ively phasing out Consortium but no one is act Changing Markets’ worst synthetics. Lululemon made fabrics being synthetic. offenders list, with 67% of its tre when you’re It must be hard to find your cen Adidas, H&M, Nike, wrapped in petrochemicals. as “trailing behind”. and The North Face all ranked

Blaming us (classic!):

nds tell us to wash Instead of doing the work, bra lastic filters. rop our clothes less and use mic again! ty, bili Somehow it’s our responsi

15

Saving the planet? Big Fashion CBA Breaking up with synthetics is one thing. Decarbonisation – dumping fossil fuels in all of its seductive forms – is another story.

Since up to 96% of fashion’s emissions come from production, you’d think major brands are putting all their energy into phasing out fossil fuels from their supply chain. WRONG. Many haven’t even set serious targets, if they’ve bothered to set them at all. Emissions are soaring at a time they need to fall lower than our low-rise jeans.

This chronic inaction means Big Fashion won’t struggle to put a finger down in our game of Never Have I Ever. (FYI we’re about to get a bit technical but stay with us. The tea is worth it!)

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Product footprint reduction targets = lowering the environmental impact of individual products. Cute in theory, but if the brand’s still overproducing, total emissions will only go up.

Intensity reduction targets = cutting your emissions per £ earned.

Notice how luxury brands have upped their prices? It’s a sneaky way to make their growing emissions look like they’re falling!

Never have I ever…

Never have I ever…

Why bother cutting emissions when you can just massage the numbers? Welcome to Big Fashion math, where brands quietly change how they report data to make reductions seem way more impressive. Shein just casually admitted its 2023 transport emissions were actually 18% higher than previously reported after a cheeky recalculation. Oops!

Repeat after us: absolute emissions reductions are what count. Intensity (luxury’s fave!) or product footprint targets might sound promising, but are usually a smokescreen to hide growing emissions elsewhere.

Shein – crowned fashion’s biggest polluter (twice!)

- has announced ambitious net zero targets, backed by a fancy third-party (Get the certifications low-down on page 22). But goals aren’t guarantees. We’re not convinced Shein will get there with plans to *checks notes*: 1. Swap virgin materials for recycled polyester (yawn) 2. Reduce transport emissions (for real this time) 3. Grow a resale platform (...with materials that might literally make people ill).

Installing solar panels? Slowing production? Paying workers fairly? Not on the moodboard. No amount of PR is going to make its emissions sashay away.

used dodgy calculations

Never have I ever…

done the bare minimum

If brands were serious about decarbonising (slashing emissions, not carbs), they’d target Scope 3 AKA the massive chunk of indirect emissions from production.

Instead, brands like SKIMS laser focus on Scope 1 and 2 emissions generated from powering their offices, warehouses, and delivery vans. Real talk: nobody cares if you “keep meetings to a minimum to preserve electricity”, or your office lights automatically turn off. Last time we checked, your factories still run on coal.

Never have I ever…

racked up air miles

While lots of brands are opting to ship by sea, Zara (hi, Inditex) is boarding a one-way flight to climate chaos. In 2024, its air freight emissions hit an all time high - up 10%.

And Patagonia? Not as squeaky clean as you’d expect. In 2023, it flew in 1,300 shipments - 5% of its product range.

That’s a lot for a brand that claims air transport is only used in “exceptional situations”. But Lululemon, ASOS, Shein, and Temu all ranked worse.

set a goal I never planned to meet

Never have I ever…

ignored garment workers

Most of a brand’s emissions come from its supply chain so wouldn’t it make sense to talk to the people tasked with implementing your climate strategy? Apparently not. Only 6% of major fashion brands share how they collaborate with suppliers on solutions. BTW switching to renewables requires cash – a lot of it – and these filthy rich brands expect their underpaid suppliers to foot the bill. If brands really cared, they’d put their money where their emissions are, and fast.

Never have I ever…

used carbon offsets

Carbon offsetting = permission to pollute. Rather than cutting emissions at the source, brands buy credits to supposedly balance out their own footprint. They fund things like tree planting and reef restoration to reduce emissions somewhere else in the world. The problem?

The projects take decades to absorb the carbon fashion pumps out now. Offsets should be a last resort, not your first move. Try harder, babes.

Try Again Aaliyah

Net zero = cancelling out the amount of harmful emissions you put into the atmosphere by removing the same amount.

17

This or that: circularity edition Stop cherry picking – give us the whole pie

Hot new trend alert: circular fashion. The total opposite of today’s take-make-waste model, it’s about keeping clothes in circulation for as long as poss. Big Fashion loves to treat circularity like a pick-n-mix – cherry picking the sweet treats that boost their image (and profits), while skipping the part where they actually make less.

Sure, repair services and take-back schemes might look tasty, but if production keeps climbing and textile waste is visible from space, we’ve got a problem.

Round Round Sugababes

So what does true circularity look like? Brands need to do a lot less of this and a hell of a lot more of that.

This or That Introducing a repair or rental scheme as a distraction from making less clothes.

Slapping “deadstock” or “archival” on last season’s overstock to sound circular.

We may not stan Lululemon, but calling its sale collection “We Made Too Much”?

Can’t fault the honesty!

Actually making less (yes, even you, H&M’s new CEO, who wants to make things even faster).

Skipping the landfill-saviour PR – we know you were gonna sell it anyway!

Launching a resale app for your disposable clothes.

Ditching the resale hype – Depop & Vinted have got us sorted – and designing clothes that actually last.

Point blank refusing to take responsibility for what you put out in the world.

Backing Extended Producer Responsibility laws and finally being accountable for your sh*t.

Shouting about circularity while keeping production volumes top secret.

#SpeakVolumes by telling us the actual number of garments you make – not just “tonnage”, Zara.

Offloading overstock to charity shops for a cheeky little tax break.

Stop treating charity shops like your personal dumping ground.

Promising textile recycling solutions that don’t exist for your mixed fibre obsession.

Not pinning your hopes on recycling unless you’re investing in the tech to make it happen.

One study found that 519 H&M & Primark tees contained 58 different fibre blends AKA a recycling nightmare.

Setting circularity targets with zero thought for the workers impacted.

EPR = policy that makes brands responsible for the things they produce even after they’ve been sold.

Making less gradually while upskilling and protecting the people who sort, mend, recycle, and deal with your waste.

Pushing overconsumption with every discount code, influencer, and “last chance” email you’ve got.

Stop blaming customer demand for fashion’s sins, and taking a chill pill on overproduction.

Telling customers to do it all: repair, resell, and somehow dispose of the un-disposable.

Taking responsibility for end-oflife by offering convenient (and effective!) collection schemes.

Running a take-back scheme that burdens the Global South with poor quality cast-offs.

Offering a scheme that works, and supporting communities dealing with fashion’s fallout.

Just transition = making sure workers aren’t left behind in the transition to a fair, inclusive and circular world.

TLDR

For circularity to work, we need all slices of the pie. No cherry picking allowed.

Ask yourself this: if it doesn’t reduce or eventually replace production, is it really circular? Or is it just another revenue stream in disguise?

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The greenwashing Putting the ‘liar’ in circularity

Welcome to the Greenwashing Hall of Shame. We’re dedicating this page to the brands who are stuck on loop with misleading circularity claims. Who should we induct next?

H &M

The same brand behind a never-ending trend cycle wants us to believe that recycling and repairing are “the only trends worth following”.

That’s cheap talk when its take-back scheme has been exposed not once but twice. Hidden airtags planted in donated clothes revealed they weren’t being locally resold as claim ed, but reportedly dumped across the African continent. It’s no coincidence that H&M labels now litter Ghana’s beaches, turning charity into waste colonialism. Takeback schemes might look like your type on paper, but when they offer discounts in return for donations, they often encourage more overconsumption – not less. That’s not the sort of cycle we’re interested in.

Waste colonialism = when clothing worn in the Global North is mass-exported to the g Global South, burdenin communities with textile , waste, fuelling pollution al loc g inin and underm industries.

A

sos

not get the llection did es” that made up a o c r” la u c ir eet c “c ASOS’ first red 29 “trend-led pie garment only had to m tu h . a c s rk y, ea t. It fe cularity wo assignmen total output. To qualif not how cir h the same t’s s a it f h o T . e s lic le it miniscule s f eight circular princip we’re left w , otherwise es were “designed le c ir c two out o e th f me piec r ll parts o We need a e we started with. So n’t offer a collection o lin id l d r fu S SO It late waste e the loop. mbly”, but A for disasse heme to actually clos zer as circular recycling sc off a 100% plastic bla ways”. le s tried to pas it “can be worn multip After e s s u n n se e! beca for commo enwashing e s u la p p a No ’s gre ff by the UK claimer being told o S slapped a big fat dis ducts ro O p S A lar” watchdog, at its “circu dmitting th y? Because it doesn’t a e it s s it n h o lly circular. W irculation. aren’t actua ms to keep them in c have syste

20

Take a Bow Rihanna

g hall of shame It should be a cardinal fashion sin but destroying unsold stock is nothing new. In 20 Burberry came un 18, der fire for burning £28.6 million worth of the stuff.

Coach

Coach to behind ld custome rs: “D the bags. In scenes, it wa on’t chuck it , re ss 2 emplo 021, a viral Tik ecretly slash pair it!” But yees d ing uns Tok ex e Coach ’s excu stroying retu posed Coac old h se? It w rned m sales”. erc as “ Rig of land ht… but that less than 1% h. ’s fi o custom ll waste. How still a f*ck ton f ir e onic it rs to pa while told y backla trashing its o for upcycling s w h n t han ba U-turn . To be kfully sparke gs. The c dap le a contro r l, not st : that was da olicy rategy m chang age e.

Shein

greenwash Shein’s “on demand” m ing od minimal wa dreams are made of. S el is what ste because h it only make ein loves to brag it prod you drop ove s what peop uces r 1 million ne le wan “small batch ” strategy (1 w products a week! Sh t. Babe, 00-200 item ein’s waste free. s per It sh who scramb ifts the burden onto fa style) isn’t le cto zero predic to ramp up production ries, tability. Gue ss who suff with when Shein ers d surge on a b emands a sudden e st -s eller? Garm workers forc ent let brands fo ed to do overtime. Don ’t o l yo u into forecasting is about herothinking trend ically waste. It’s ab out boostin reducing g profit.

Fun fact: Shein quietly removed daily uploads from its site because showing the numbers would quickly unravel its supply and demand fantasy.

Uniqlo

circular.

UNIQLO sounds are resold, and E. R it, of ce fa e On th , some repaired in-store clothing aid. The e ar ns tio na do ncy Some uted as emerge ng others are distrib as “insulation or soundproofi ed t os ha rp W . pu nfused rest is re seems to be co o ql ni U g: ”. ls lin ia yc er wnc mat g” is really just do it calls “recyclin products into lower downgrading rt en there’s the pa quality ones. Th ftover clothes where it burns le ores and calls se st el from its Japane this is a fossil fu ys sa o ql ni U ”. lot a it “fuel g tin et eniently forg “substitute”, conv straight up oil. Tragic. are of those clothes

r you Got a greenwashing offende us Let ut? uto sho a think deserves ag itm ing uy know @notb

21

The call is coming

from inside the house

Certified green or certified greenwashing?

Fashion loves a shiny stamp of approval. A cute lil logo to say “look at us, we’re sustainable now!”

But real talk: certifications don’t always equal impact.

They were meant to be a stepping stone, not the final destination. Their usual vague criteria, checkbox culture, and single issue focus lets brands keep their dirty business models intact while waving a green flag. Let’s dive into some certified greenwashing scandals.

Better Cotton? More like Better PR Better Cotton is the industry’s go-to for “responsible” sourcing. But when three BC-certified farms in Brazil were accused of deforestation and human rights abuses, the org’s response was essentially “those are landscape issues, not cotton issues”. Translation: “Not our problem, babes”.

It gets messier. BC has also been exposed in a data scam.

Farms were caught faking their sustainability data to keep their certs. So, not only are the promises flaky, in some cases the maths is made up too. If receipts could talk, they’d be screaming.

A leather certification that doesn’t work A green leaf (what else?!) is the logo of the Leather Working Group (LWG), fashion’s fave badge for “sustainable” leather. That’s a bold promise when the certification only looks at where leather is produced and treated – not the ranches that rear cattle, the feedlots that raise them, or the slaughterhouses waiting at the end.

What’s hidden behind the “luxury” label?

•

Deforestation in the Amazon (over 50 brands linked so far, hey Coach).

•

Exploited tannery workers exposed to toxic chemicals in places like Italy & Bangladesh.

•

Animal cruelty and poor animal welfare baked into the supply chain.

Is any of this factored into LWG’s current criteria?

Nope, not yet at least.

The B Corp illusion It’s marketed as the gold standard for “good business”, but even with its rigorous application process, some of its members are very questionable.

Unwritten

Natasha Bedingfield

Let’s break it down: It took a global campaign to see PR giant Havas (yep, the one repping Shell) finally get kicked out.

Now any brands with a vested interest in fossil fuels or the weapons industry are ineligible for certification.

Patagonia’s part of the club, even though it uses the same factories as fast fashion brands, has been implicated in a worker scandal, and uses dirty air shipping.

BrewDog infamously lost its status less than two years in after claims of unethical employment treatment and union-busting.

Nespresso is best known for its single-use coffee pods and alleged human rights violations on the farms that grow its coffee. Is it still a B Corp? Of course, silly.

Ultra-fast fashion brand Princess Polly barely qualified, scoring just above the 80 points minimum (86.8/200).

It’s not all bad news: B Corp takes feedback on board, regularly reviews its standards, and requires recertification every 3 years. Loads of fab small businesses with high scores rely on it. But worries that its reputation is being tarnished are valid in our books. When the worst are allowed in, it undermines the best.

The takeaway? No scheme can do it all. Certifications don’t speak for themselves – the actions of its members do.

Certifications: business first, solution second The tea is: certification bodies are for-profit machines.

Their goal is to expand membership and revenue, not push for uncomfortable, radical change. They “can’t afford” to be too strict, literally. Their success is tied to industry participation. Even Better Cotton’s CEO admitted it would be more effective if brands paid more. So… is that sustainability or a glorified subscription service?

Let’s stop pretending a logo can clean up fashion’s mess. A genuine brand won’t stop at a certification, they’ll go beyond it. Certifications = step one.

Real change = everything after.

23

THE DEVIL WEARS And the media laps it up every time

A

lmost two decades since it first graced our cinema screens, The Devil Wears Prada has retained its cult classic status.

For all the film critiques, it did little to dent luxury fashion’s allure. A toxic workplace seems like a fair trade for fashion week invites, industry connections, the occasional freebie, and a job title “a million girls would kill for”.

We love the film too. But let’s not forget how it props up the fantasy that luxury fashion is somehow above the horrors of fast fashion.

Miranda’s brief history lesson on the cerulean sweater tells a different story: designer runways set the tone for the high street. And when you look closer, luxury’s poor track record – slashing unsold goods, underpaying suppliers, and outsourcing harm – isn’t that different from fast fashion. Luxury isn’t sustainable?

Groundbreaking.

The film’s fanfare tells us a lot about how pop culture shapes public perception. Everything we read, watch, listen to, and quote builds an image.

The problem is so many of these references are doing really lazy work, gifting brands a social license to keep doing questionable things without being questioned. Here’s how the media has become an oversized cog in Big Fashion’s greenwashing machine.

Money Talks (Dirty Cash) The Adventures of Stevie V

24

Fact-checker? I hardly know he

r

Fashion journalism has adapte d to survive. Print mags went dig ital.

Subs gave way to ads and affiliate links. And Journalism 101 was quickly tossed out the window . Editorial integrity now comes second to brand sponsorships.

The job of any journalist is to rep ort the truth, but the rules don’t always apply in this glitzy world: Press releases are copy-pasted, minus the fact-checking (then reshared on social media where fact-checking is history).

Headlines praise brands for “go ing green” when the green is really greenwashing.

Publications have more ecomm erce staff than investigative journalists.

Sustainability columns live awk wardly next to articles promoting “30 must-haves this summer”.

Inaccurate fashion-impact stat s go viral and become gospel.

Advertisers get special treatme nt AKA praise without scrutiny.

Sentences like “at Vogue we bel ieve every day should be Earth Day” are meant to be ser ious.

And yes, “this sustainable £19.99 H&M dress is set to be a summer sell-out” is a real advert that Grazia ran.

Can the real fashion journalism please stand up?

Prada

S

Missguided by name, misguided by nature

O LET’S STOP REWARDING GREENWASHERS

G

uess what? We don’t just promote greenwashers. We give them awards… at shows sponsored by Amazon… or ceremonies where half the judging panel is made up of people that work for the brands with a nomination! *Vom*

In 2020, Drapers Sustainable Fashion Awards nominated H&M twice. New Look was also in the running – the same brand exposed (by Drapers, of all publications) for mass cancelling orders and refusing to pay its suppliers. Nothing about that says “award-worthy”.

The awards ceremony took place at Drapers’ sustainable fashion conference, where H&M’s then-head of sustainability was a keynote speaker.

Big Fashion stays on the mic – at conferences, on podcasts, in press interviews – while supply chain workers and small brands remain invisible. Rupaul had the right idea when she said, “I don’t want to see any f*cking H&M”.

n a bad day, greenwashing makes it to the big screen. First the BBC aired In The Style’s Breaking Fashion. Then Channel 4 gave us Inside Missguided: Made In Manchester – a nowdeleted PR piece disguised as a documentary. The series went live right after Boohoo’s Leicester factory scandal broke, four years after Missguided was also caught paying garment workers as little as £3 an hour. Instead of exposing exploitation, we got pink office tours and corporate girlbossing.

The “Made in Manchester” promise in the doc’s title?

A stretch. At the time, only a handful of Missguided suppliers were actually UK-based. We were treated to glimpses of its global supply chain three times: chasing up a sample in China, panic-ordering 1,000 units from a Pakistani supplier, and haggling a factory down to £7.40 per dress.

When you deduct the cost of materials, packaging, and shipping, what money is left for garment workers’ wages?! Meanwhile, Molly-Mae Hague got offered £350K and a Range Rover for a collab, but ended up going with PLT. That’s the same as a year’s wages (around £905) for 386 Bangladeshi garment workers.

TLDR Oct 9, 2009 at 4.25pm • Facebook for BlackBerry •

Like your mum believing everything she reads on Facebook, we’re expected to lap up every fashion headline, awards shows, and docuseries without question. We’re smarter than that.

Follow the money. Ask who’s paying for the coverage. And always, always read between the (PR-written) lines!

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25

What’s in their it bag?

Inside influencers’ bag of tricks

49%

of shoppers depend on influencer recommendations to decide what to buy, making them Big Fashion’s ad of choice.

Every niche account is now a marketing goldmine. You’ve probs seen Sylvanian Dramas plugging everything from Urban Outfitters sequin (plastic!) dresses to spenny Marc Jacobs totes. Brands cash in on a creator’s “authenticity” and “relatability” by paying them to do their dirty work: selling us sh*t we don’t need, all under the illusion it’s ethical, elevated, or (our fave) essential. It’s so convincing that France is now trying to ban influencers from promoting ultra fast fashion!

So, what are your fave influencers actually influencing? Let’s take a peek inside every it-girl’s greenwashing bag of tricks:

Greenwashing is the new face card

Celeb aren’t just a pretty face, they’re greenwashing bait... While Kim K sold nipple bras and took the p*ss out of the climate crisis, her sis Kourtney was dressing up as Boohoo’s “sustainability ambassador”.

She followed Laura Whitmore x Primark Cares and Maisie Williams x H&M. Let’s not forget, A-list status doesn’t influence policy – just that sweet, sweet paycheque.

#OO T Ds

Take us back to the Stassi Schroeder days where every aesthetic didn’t have a -core.

There’s cottagecore, balletcore, blokecore… whatever that means. Each microtrend comes with a long shopping list and a short shelf life. Outfit repeating is dressed up like a quirky trait, not the norm. Ever heard of a washing machine?

When Rita met Primark

Supermodels were the OG style influencers.

First it was Kate Moss x Topshop. Now it’s Sienna Mae x M&S, Rita Ora x Primark, and Naomi Campbell x PLT, (which is so off-brand we can’t help but laugh). Even Charli XCX DJ-ed at H&M’s LFW gig, which wasn’t very brat of her. We’re team Chappell: “f*ck H&M”.

26

For the record, we’re not here to cancel all influencers. But we can’t ignore how they can normalise overconsumption, capitalise on our insecurities, and parrot greenwashing for profit. For every creator who inspires us to restyle our wardrobes, recommends conscious swaps, or supports grassroots movements, there’s hundreds more pushing products in the name of “community”.

£500 Shein hauls

This YouTube fan fave is now a TikToker staple. Cut to them tipping out huge boxes filled with 50+ plastic-wrapped garments.

Why buy one top when you can buy five for so cheap?! Except they weren’t bought; they were gifted (if they actually remember to disclose that). They’re so “obsessed” they’ll sell it on Vinted next week.

Shop my closet (literally)

When you’re done selling other people’s clothes, sell your own. Influencer brands promise fast fashion quality with £100+ price tags and questionable ethics (Matilda Djerf’s label faced toxic workplace allegations). After her role as PLT’s Creative Director, Molly Mae launched Maebe. The first collection was an instant sellout, even though the website skipped the legal requirement of disclosing fabric composition.

Cue shopper outrage after realising it was another bobbly polyester blazer…

Part-time sustainability advocates

They’re a walking ad for fast fashion, but still post the odd thrift haul for balance. Sure, the secondhand pile is massive, but at least it’s pre-loved, right? Without realising, they’ve become a mouthpiece for greenwashing, posting glowing reviews of a Shein showroom visit. Call them out and they’ll say you’re “just jealous”. Ask about the ethics and they’ll say: “keep the politics out of fashion, sweetie”.

We say: name the brand, name the harm.

ed Th

of

u

pe

all

dupe brands

Deinfluencing (gone wrong!)

Gen-Z’s answer to Q V C

Anyone can live out their shopping channel fantasy on TikTok. You’ll struggle to scroll without seeing someone style five outfits you didn’t ask for. They can’t answer questions about who made the clothes – and will block you if you keep asking – but hey, there’s a discount code if you’d rather look the other way. It’s never been easier to buy something without thinking.

Oops, they did it again.

Buy now, regret later

Can’t afford what they’re selling? Just pop it on Klarna hun. Every brand has a buy now, take-on-unaffordable-debt later option.

Klar-nah even has a dedicated Creator Platform that matches influencers with brands. Credit score? What’s that? You might as well go full Carrie Bradshaw and sign up for Shein’s credit card too.

Friendship, but make it transactional

You know all about their skincare steps, their gym routine, and their messy breakup.

But they know you… as a customer. If it feels like a recommendation – not an ad – then it’s working. You aspire to be like them, although their lifestyle is pretty unattainable.

Maybe this jacket will get you closer (and help them hit their sales targets).

What started as a viral anti-haul trend - calling out products not worth the hype - quickly spiralled into the exact opposite. Influencers began using #deinfluencing to recommend other products conveniently linked on TikTok Shop. Its younger sister, underconsumptioncore, was supposed to celebrate repair and reuse, but some creators thought that meant binning perfectly usable items for aesthetic minimalism.

Another tragic victim of the family curse. RIP.

Totally honest reviews (I promise!)

“Since we’re all gonna die, there’s one more secret I feel I have to share with you” – that viral sound exposed a thousand fake faves in the lead up to the short-lived US TikTok ban... Lying isn’t technically in the job description but fibbing is easy: Say it’s sustainable (it’s not). Recommend something you hate (the pay’s too good). Bury #Ad in the caption. And deffo forget to mention you’re wearing falsies in that mascara review.

Duped by the dupes

They can afford the real deal, but still share affiliate links for knock-offs. It sounds generous, but dupes are a slippery slope. Small businesses’ routinely get ripped off, while counterfeit giants stay shady. They’re cheap because someone else pays the price.

Glamorous Fergie

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Get you a brand A laundry list of everything-washing Welcome to the Big Fashion laundrette: where brands never separate the lies from the facts. What are we left with? A mixed load of BS that won’t come out in the wash. If they’re greenwashing, odds are they’re also …

WOKEWASHING Serving ethics on the outside and exploitation on the inside.

Keep your eyes peeled for brands that:

“girl power” tees on International Women’s Day but don’t x Sell extend this “feminism” to the women who made them. x Posted a black square in 2020 but have since ghosted their DEI policies.

Mental Health Day to boost their Twitter engagement x Use (we’re not joking). a genocide by kitting out the IOF or Israeli football team, x Fund exploiting Palestinian labour, or running stores on stolen land.

IOF = the Israeli Occupation (not defence!) Forces

Dirty laundry

Erro

Receipts

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who does it all PINKWASHING Cashing in on Pride while exploiting the people who make their merch. Basically, allyship for one month only. T&Cs apply. Clock brands that:

x Drop a Pride collection littered with synthetics and donate a tiny % to charity. rainbow flags literally everywhere – their products, logo, ads & x Wave stores – while they ignore their own LGBTQ+ staff. over massive Pride floats the same year they donate to x Take transphobic politicians. to change the placeholder text on their Pride labels x Forget months after they binned their DEI policies, hey Target.

SPORTSWASHING Associating with sporting events to boost your brand’s rep and distract from your sh*tty practices. If you can’t win with ethics, win with football.

Watch out for brands that: Sponsor every major athlete and tournament to distract from their dirty laundry.

or: Ethics not found ew

Use the Paris Olympics as an opp to 1. K it out Team Canada in head-to-toe fossil fashion (Oh hey, Lululemon).

2. Plaster the city in LVMH ads while facing fresh sweatshop allegations.

Pay for huge World Cup billboards but won’t pay back stolen wages (for a fraction of their record-breaking ad spend).

Fund women’s sport as a shortcut for “girlboss” feminism.

Blah Blah Blah Kesha

Greenwashing 101 29

YOU CAN'T ERASE US Putting the people in ‘people and planet’

If greenwashing is designed to distract us, it works best when it turns our heads away from the people who really matter. Nope, not the billionaire CEOs, the Creative Directors or the “celebs” they style – we’re talking about the people who make our clothes.

The story of a dress is longer than the visible supply chain.

It doesn’t start with a fancy sketch in a design studio, and it doesn’t end at checkout. It begins in fields, weaving looms, and dye pits, and ends in landfills, incinerators, and second-hand markets.

Take your standard baby tee. Before it can be cut and sewn together, the cotton needs to be grown, spun, and dyed. Hidden deep in the supply chain, exploitation is rife and stems from the hands of corporations. Child labour, poverty wages, debt bondage, extreme temperatures, and toxic chemical exposure are all prevalent, and ignored. Brand and government policies rarely ever touch the lives of farmers, weavers, and dyers. It’s a classic case of out of sight, out of mind.

Exploitation continues onto the factory floor where workers pay the price of Big Fashion’s greed. Suppliers are squeezed for every penny they have, leaving little money for fair wages or health and safety. Huge order volumes and impossibly tight deadlines create a pressure pot of human rights abuses. When brands constantly demand more for less, the scramble to deliver drives up unpaid overtime and restricts toilet breaks. Workplace abuse increases under the strain.

Migrant and women workers - who make up a large chunk of the garment workforce – feel the brunt of this. Often indebted to family, recruitment agencies, or traffickers, and fearful of arrest or deportation, many migrant workers find themselves trapped in abusive work environments with fewer labour rights protections.

For women, gender inequality adds another layer of exploitation. Too often, they’re underpaid, deprived of maternity leave, and face gender-based violence. They tirelessly work two jobs, bearing the burden of domestic work and childcare alongside their 10-14 hour factory shift.

But even in the face of these structural inequalities, women and migrant workers continue to organise themselves and demand better working conditions.

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Their calls for brands to support their struggle, however, so often go ignored. “We don’t own the factories” is the industry’s fave excuse for inaction. What it leaves out is brands’ deliberately switching to overseas factories, outsourcing manufacturing and responsibility. Cheap labour costs and lax labour laws maximise profits, lining the pockets of shareholders and billionaire founders. To put this into perspective, it takes a Big Fashion CEO just four days to “earn” what a Bangladeshi garment worker is likely to earn in their lifetime.

Big Fashion dominates the market. This deep-rooted power imbalance stops governments from improving labour rights and factories from negotiating a better price, out of fear brands will take their business elsewhere.

Brands say “not our problem”, ignoring all of the ways they call the shots. It’s not unusual for them to pay months after an order is completed, make sudden order changes, or demand backdated discounts. These unfair purchasing practices mean workers lose out, again.

Behind every tee lies the skills and resilience of the people who made it. So what does that say about our value system when it’s sold for the same price as an iced matcha? Or, when our clothes are dumped in communities on the frontlines of the textile waste crisis? It tells us this: labour is devalued at every stage of the supply chain.

Poverty is another common thread that weaves its way through the lives of workers. Poverty pulls children out of school and pushes them onto cotton farms or factory floors to help pay off their parents’ debt. It stops workers from being able to afford nutritious food and access to healthcare. It creates a vicious cycle where they’re too afraid to risk their jobs by speaking out.

To be clear, this poverty is also by design. It absolutely doesn’t have to be this way. Brands could absorb the true cost of production and still turn a profit. They could drop out of the race to the bottom, and stop pitting suppliers against each other for the lowest possible price. Our clothes could be hella cute and ethically made.

Instead, fashion has become a trillion dollar industry where wealth is concreted in the hands of the few.

Brands like Uniqulo, Nike, and Zara all have billionaire founders. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and LVMH’s Bernard Arnault are both predicted to become trillionaires (!) within the next decade. Their fortunes aren’t earned or deserved; they’re stolen from the people whose labour forms the very fabric of this industry.

The way brands talk about the climate crisis, you’d think it’s some equalising force or a far-off future threat. But for millions of workers, it’s already here – and it’s widening inequalities:

Greenwashing intentionally glosses over all of this. If brands do talk about garment workers, it’s usually a cropped image. They’ve hijacked the narrative, reducing sustainability to purely environmental – not ethical – terms.

Climate justice is social justice. Paying living wages would lift millions of workers out of poverty and help slow down fashion’s breakneck production. Protecting union rights means workers can demand climate protections. Giving workers a seat at the table = fairer, greener climate solutions.

Nothing shows this contrast more than when H&M was shortlisted for Drapers’ Supply Chain Initiative award in 2020. That same year, 20-year-old garment worker Jeyasre Kathiravel was tragically murdered at an H&M supplier factory after months of sexual harassment. H&M didn’t win the award, but every nominee benefitted from the attention. A life was stolen and yet Jeyasre’s story was criminally underreported by western news outlets.

It’s no coincidence that exploited workers are on the frontlines of so many global crises they didn’t create.

Migrant workers targeted by ICE raids. Farmers and machinists collapsing in deadlier heatwaves. Waste pickers forced to clean up Big Fashion’s mess. Different struggles, same root cause: racial capitalism.

Racial capitalism = the marrying of capitalism and racism, where obscene wealth is built off the exploitation of Black and brown people.

•

Increased floods and earthquakes shut down factories. Closures = job losses.

•

Poverty wages lower climate resilience, meaning workers can’t bounce back.

•

Rising temperatures make factories unbearable.

So the next time you see brands shout about sustainability, ask: what are they really sustaining?

Billionaire profits or worker livelihoods? For every eco claim they make, check if they share the same level of info about workers’ rights and wages. Are workers front and centre, or are they treated like an afterthought?

Fashion’s violence is stitched into every seam. But so is resistance. After all, it was worker unions that fought – for two years! – for H&M to finally sign an agreement protecting workers against gender-based violence following Jeyasre’s murder.

From using flowers as a solidarity too l to organising on factory floors, garment workers hav e always shown up for each other. Now it’s our turn.

Follow unions like Tamil Nadu Textile and Common Labour Union & Industriall.

Follow worker-led orgs like Clean Clo thes Campaign, The Or Foundation & Garment Wo rkers Association.

Bookmark Garment Worker Diaries.

Support calls for a just transition.

Demand more from the brands you

Remember the people greenwash For more ways to show solidarity, skip

wear.

ing tries to erase.

to pages 42-46.

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What, like it's hard?

How to call out greenwashing with your besties

32

Ready to start calling out the BS? Here’s a quick guide to get you started!

Ask for the receipts

Don’t @ me

Slide into their DM’s and ask them to clarify their claim. If you get ghosted or fed vague answers, take it public. Comment across their socials or leave a spicy review. Brands clock repeat complaints fast so gather the baddies for backup and coordinate a social storm.

Where there’s greenwa shing, there is greentrolling. The OG qu een Mary Heglar turned it into an art form: quote-tweet a brand’s fake-ethical po st with a link to their latest scandal and drop a “this you?”. Don’t forget to add a string of skull emojis for good measure.

Enter your legally blonde era

SULA: The CMA has Big Fashion sweating

Reputation matters more to brands than actual ethics – so let’s use it! Get the group chat over, pop the snacks, and hit them where it hurts. Take turns submitting a complaint to the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) using their quick online form. It takes 5 minutes and a laptop. If the ASA agrees, they’ll force the brand to edit or pull the ad. After you’re done, treat yourself to a Legally Blonde marathon – you deserve it!

Make it a them problem If brands wont stop greenwashing, get creative and let their customers know how their fave brand is splashing their cash. Use stickers to cover clothing labels, tube ads, or storefronts. Leave cheeky notes in changing rooms or slip them into pockets. Nervous? Totally norm. Bring a friend, assess the risks, go during peak hours to blend in. Do what feels safest to you.

s The ASA can’t issue fines, but the UK’ can Competition & Markets Authority CMA (and they can be pretty spenny!) The ms Clai is the enforcer of the UK Green e Code AKA guidelines that determin not. or whether a brand is greenwashing serial ort The bad news? Only orgs can rep The greenwashers. The good news? fashion CMA’s already hot on watching the A ASD world: They investigated ASOS, more 17 George and Boohoo, then warned og chd brands, followed by a global wat notice. crackdown. Fashion is officially on

Expose their secrets

When H&M used child activis ts in their 2021 “conscious” kids campai gn, Tolmeia Gregory and Fi Quekett clapp ed back hard, dressing as Captain Greenw ash and adding their own protest posters to the shop window. It’s no surprise H&M changed the display overnight. They’re a winner, baby.

Bonus: Gossip like a pro Help spread the word by recommending or lending this mag to a mate.

Nothing says bestie goals like calling out greenwashing together!

Just A Girl No Doubt

33

What kind of greenwash girly are you?

The system sucks but we all cope differently

When someone says “but we ne ed clothes!” you respond:

Pick the answer that feels the most “you” for each question. Count how many As, Bs, Cs, and Ds you get to reveal your anti-greenwash alter ego.

A “Yes! Finally so meo B “True but… no t that C “Need ≠ new.

Ever

dly.” You...

labelled “eco-frien You see a £3 dress free and Buy it. £3 is basically

A

brand while B Look up the

D

many?”

heard of repairs ?”

D “We have en ough clot

it says eco!

hes to clothe rations.”

the next 6 gene

feeling guilty.

You see a luxury #ad that’s giving

the GC. h and share a rant in

C Sig

ne gets it.”

A Believe it, duh. Designer brands wouldn’ t

stainability.

buy your way to su You know you can’t e.

It’s your roman empir

Your fave influ encer does a “sustainable” collab with a fast fashion b rand. You...

A Like, share, an d screenshot for inspo.

B Feel conflicte d but still doub le tap.

C Comment “is it really tho?”

D You clock it.

Block it. And hy pe someone actu ally ethical.

greenwashing. You... lie?

B Quickly swipe past. Ignorance is bliss.

C Side-eye it and expose the ad on stories.

D Write a sassy complaint to the ASA.

A union of garment workers is striking. You…

A Scroll past. Not your thing.

B Like the post, but it doesn’t fit your IG aesthetic. ers!”

C Repost with the caption “Support striking work .

brand’s CEO ign the solidarity statement and write to the D S

Mostly As The Greenwashed Princess

You’ve got heart, hun, but the brands got you first.

You believe the marketing because you want to believe change is easy. No shade but it’s time to go deeper than the surface-level slogans.

Let’s grow!

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Mostly Bs The Conflicted Consumer You know something’s off but the guilt spiral is real.

You’re trying, but the system keeps dragging you back in.

Remember: you’re more than a consumer, you’re a person.

Keep learning, and don’t let perfection be the enemy of progress.

Mostly Cs

Mostly Ds

The PassiveAggressive Hun The No-Bullsh*t Babe You clock the greenwashing, save the receipts, and drop the occasional spicy comment. You’re observant and skeptical, but it’s time to turn that energy into solidarity.

Action is hotter than watching from the sidelines.

You’ve seen behind the curtain and set it on fire.

You’re the friend who sends everyone docuseries links, platforms worker testimonies, and knows you need to uproot the entire system. Iconic, just don’t burn out. Rest is resistance too.

g n i h s a w g n e e I fell for r And all I got was this __________

We’ve quite literally been there, done that, got the recycled polyester tee we thought was “eco” only to quickly realise… it’s not. Cue the existential spiral because, hunny, you just got duped. But hey, no shame. Here are some of the times we fell for the greenwashing so you don’t have to.

Penny @threadsforapenny

brands I got sucked into the craze of “sustainable” IG and front was y Sunn of e with a cult following. Hous ever ’t wasn that etic aesth centre presenting an eco backed up by anything real. With little supply chain transparency, a quickening trend cycle, and claims of ‘vegan knitwear’ that was secretly polyester, it turns out it was just greenwashing. I even recommended them to loads of people as a good brand to buy from eeek!! That hasn’t stopped me rewearing that microtrend dress every chance I get.

Sophie @saint.thrifty

Years ago, a brand wanted to do a gifted collab.

They said all the right things and had a small sustainability section on their site. But when the loungewear arrived, it turns out it was made by a huge fast fashion brand AKA the opposite of sustainable. I realised that marketing can say absolutely anything, but without numbers, stats, and details, it’s all just fluff to tick a box and trick us into thinking we’re making a more ethical choice.

Mel @_melwatt

Sue me but shoes are my downfall. First it was the Converse made from recycled bottles, then it was the pair of “vegan” pre-loved docs I wore every day until they literally snapped in half. Turns out both options are just plastic. Now I opt for secondhand leather docs and call out the BS. I know a greenwasher hates to see me coming!

Oops!...I Did It Again Britney

Ronaé @ronaesfagon

I fell for greenwashing & all I got was a peeling blue handbag. A new brand on the scene, non-stop targeted ads, and cute products? I was sold! I didn’t yet know how to spot the vague, oversimplified claims of sustainability before it was too late.

I got the bag (and now the glue stains on multiple jackets).

Daisy @days_of_dais_

I thought bamboo was the most sustainable fabric ever before I realised it was rayon and used loads of chemicals to make.

I was SO disappointed in myself for telling everyone in my life how amazing it was!

Clare @mrspress

I know this is going to sound really full-o n, but I think I greenwashed myself, getting excited abo ut being the first Vogue sustainability editor. Looking back , I don’t think it made any difference at all (except to me) .

Corporate fashion magazines exist to sell us new clothes and beauty products.

Just because the messaging becomes about such-and-such a collection being more sustainable, it doesn’t wipe out the fact that big fashion media exists to serve advertisers (brands), who exist to maximise profits.

Yalda @yaldakesh

To this day I still catch myself falling for the “you can buy your way to sustainability” myth. The urge to bin all my “unsustainable” clothes and start fresh is so strong, but so wrong. My greenest outfit is for sure in my laundry bag.

Lauren @laurenreesfashion

I was looking for cotton underwear and was duped by a Primark set that boldly claimed they were made of responsibly sourced cotton… I got home and the hidden care label exposed the fact they were actually 33% cotton and 67% plastic!

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Your wardrobe’s darker secrets, revealed

HORROR SCOPES 36

Leo (Jul 23 – Aug 22)

Virgo (Aug 23 – Sep 22)

Libra (Sep 23 – Oct 22)

Leos ooze confidence and love positivity so it’s no surprise you try to motivate those around you. You post about ditching fast fashion and embracing secondhand gems but...

ASOS keeps sending you personalised discount codes. You might have a soft spot for next-day delivery but remember: free returns often get burned. You’re the main character, so use that star power to set a better trend.

A happy Virgo is a well-informed Virgo.

You research every ethical brand, cross-check every supply chain, and still get played. Greenwashing got you again, and now you’re emotionally invested in an eco-lie. Friday’s full moon could bring light bulb moments followed closely by a new plan of attack.

Watch this space!

Capitalism is testing your patience this month, Libra.

You tell yourself it’s not your fault ethical fashion is unaffordable… but who said sustainability means buying more?

It’s time to put down the credit card, unlearn the lies you’ve been told, and step off the consumption treadmill altogether. You’ve got this.

Scorpio (Oct 23 – Nov 21)

Sagittarius (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

Capricorn (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

Your latest online order arrives… and surprise! It’s not the colour, fit, or material you expected.

It’s falling apart like Destiny’s Child. You do what fiery Scorpios do best: send the brand’s customer service a 3 page email demanding a refund. Success!

Now imagine all the good you could achieve if you channeled that passion into holding brands to account, not just their returns department.

Sag souls are full of enthusiasm… until you find out your favourite luxury brand is no different to the fast fashion lineup. Oops! Turns out they have the same supply chain as those that mass-produce microplastics. Your moral compass is spinning. Luxury’s “sustainable fashion” era? More like Britney and Justin in double denim iconic at first glance, tragic on closer inspection.

Next time, why not try pre-loved.

Capricorns are big on reliability and stability. That “climate neutral” hoodie you splurged on? The brand spent more on marketing its carbon offsets than on paying its garment workers.

The only thing neutral is their ethics. Do some soul searching under Friday’s full moon. Our Verdict?

Carbon offsetting ads are no different to a MySpace top 8 friendship - fake, fleeting, and full of drama. Stay alert!

Aquarius (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

Pisces (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

Aries (Mar 21 – Apr 19)

Under this week’s illuminating full moon, an uncomfortable truth reveals itself: Your spontaneous Depop “thrifted” steal is suspiciously cheap…

Turns out, someone bulkbought it straight from Temu and resold it with a quirky caption. Vintage? Try vintage deception. Like the early 2000s’ skinny obsession, some things should just stay in the past!

As the sun lifts your energy levels, why not ask yourself: What truly brings you joy, beyond consumption?

Lesbian? I thought she was a Pisces!

Well listen closely. Your washing machine whispers dark secrets: every cycle releases thousands of microplastics into the ocean.

Somewhere, a fish is now wearing your polyester leggings. As a gentle Pisces you typically keep to yourself, but let’s face it, everyone needs some advice from time to time. The group chat isn’t just for planning the next Galentines or I Kissed A Girl watch party. Practise asking for help, especially when it comes to climate anxiety.

Impulse is your middle name, Aries, and Klarna knows it. That one little payment snowballs and, suddenly, your cart’s bigger than your budget. But here’s the thing: fashion brands bank on your urgency while your future self pays the price (with interest). This month, redirect your fire into something that truly makes your heart sing for the long haul. Style should build over time, not rack up debt. Take a deep breath before you hit checkout.

The stars (and your bank account) will thank you!

Taurus (Apr 20 – May 20)

Gemini (May 21 – Jun 20)

Cancer (Jun 21 – Jul 22)

Your favorite influencer just dropped a limited edition ethical collection with a brand that underpays workers.

Babe, it’s not sustainable, it’s just expensive. This month, your practical, grounded nature is your best friend.

Greenwashing is getting slicker, and brands know exactly how to dress up exploitation in a recycled cardboard box. Stay sharp, Taurus. Ethical fashion isn’t about price tags or buzzwords; it’s about transparency and accountability. Trust your instinct. If a brand needs a glossy campaign to prove it’s ethical, it probably isn’t.

One week, you’re anti-consumerism.

The next, that perfect TikTok microtrend hits, and your cart says otherwise.

Duality is your nature, but so is corporate manipulation. Remember, you don’t need to reinvent yourself every time the algorithm refreshes.

Trust your instincts, not the ‘trending now’ tab. This week’s full moon is pushing you towards new habits: spotting consumerist traps, doomscrolling less, and redefining your personal style on your own terms - the kind that isn’t dictated by a 30-second video. You’ve got this, Gemini!

Hey there, Cancer babe!

So you hand-wash your clothes, swear off polyester, and still feel guilty about fashion’s impact.

Meanwhile, billion-dollar brands pollute rivers and dodge responsibility. Keep focused on what you can do and, most importantly, listen to that intuition - deep down you know it’s not you, it’s them!

Supermassive Black Hole Muse

Don't get played by brands

Play our games instead

Play JLO

Greenwash or Go? You’re stalking your fave brand online. Can you spot the scam?

Circle whether each claim is “Legit” or “Greenwash.”

Answers below – in reverse, obvs.

“We believe in a sustainable future” Legit / Greenwash

“Made with 10% recycled polyester” Legit / Greenwash

“WE SUPPORT GARMENT WORKERS” Legit / Greenwash

“Donate to our clothing take-back scheme”

“This T-shirt saved a turtle”

Legit / Greenwash

Legit / Greenwash

ing wage, “We’re not perfect, but we pay a liv fuels” make to order & are phasing out fossil Legit / Greenwash

37 37

1. They say they care but vibes aren’t action or policy. 2. 10% recycled is still 90% virgin. Maths, babes. 3. Support ≠ living wage. 4. Take-back schemes often mean landfill, not reuse. 5. Turtles are cute, but this is peak emotional manipulation. 6. Might not roll off the tongue but it sounds legit. Transparency = chef’s kiss.

S O W HE R E D O I S H O P ?

Answering the question on everyone’s lips “So who are the good brands I can buy from?” is the first question we get when sustainable fashion comes up.

After 35+ pages of dragging brands, we don’t blame you for wondering the same thing. But if our instinct for change still comes wrapped in consumption… maybe that’s part of the problem?

We’re gonna hold your hand when we say this, but we can’t just shop our way to change. Here’s why:

The whole system’s rigged

all share the same The issues in the fashion industry s endless growth, thorny root: capitalism. It demand workers, trashing which means squeezing profits from This isn’t a case the planet, and flooding the market. rel is rotten right of a few bad apples; the entire bar big brands are at it is down to the core. Knowing all the e into action. gutting, but we can channel that rag

ck Buying “better” still keeps us stu us that

vincing Brands have poured billions into con y’ve reduced The ion. opt ” “eco change = buying their mpoo bar, and action to a reusable water bottle, sha eryacht. But sup ’s CEO a enough tote bags to sink so far, distracting us s take only n conscious consumptio (Flip to page 42 us from meaningful collective action. for what does help!)

Garment workers deserve more

buy from When people ask us “who should I is “how ing ask ly instead?”, what they’re real by rt Sta ?”. nge can I be a part of the cha e Tak d. acte imp t backing the people mos and kers wor your cues from garment their unions, amplify their campaigns, and centre the communities on the frontlines of the textile waste crisis.

Conscious consumption is a great entry point, but it’s just that: an entry point. When we slow down and feel better about how we shop, we free up energy for deeper change. Check out page 42 to explore what real solidarity looks like.

The Sweet Escape Gwen Stafani

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Don’t worry – we’re not saying everyone should go naked (but also, slay if you do). We all need clothes sometimes, and it feels good to support brands that align with our values. So when it comes to refreshing our wardrobe, here’s what we do instead:

Break up with microtrends, we’re bored

Confession of an ex-shopaholic here: being more intentional with your purchases starts with stepp ing off the hamster wheel of trends. Unsubscribe from promo emails, block your most frequently visited store s on your browser, and unfollow influencers who make you feel like your clothes aren’t enough.

Just call us Lizzie Mcguire

We’re outfit repeaters, and proud! When there are so many ways to refresh your style without buyin g new, shopping becomes the last resort. Apps like Whe ring help you track what you own and remix your ward robe.

We’re also big fans of raiding our friends’ ward robes, clothes swaps, and renting for special occasions . It’s like the sisterhood of the travelling pants IRL. No sewing experts here, but we’ve managed to crop a tee and sew on a button with needle, thread, and scissors.

Look out for local workshops if you want to become a pro!

We see it, we want it, we pause

Still got a style itch you need to scratch? It’s purc hasing time baby. But before swiping our card, we ask: does it fit with what I already own? Does it really make my heart sing? Impulsive purchases often lead to regre t, guilt, and waste, so we try to sit on a purchase for at least a week. If it’s still on our mind, it’s a yes!

Secondhand first, always

Apps like Vinted, Depop, and eBay are our first port of call, plus vintage and charity shops, and good old car boots. If we genuinely need something new (undies being the obvious one) , we look to small ethical brands before hitting the high street. No brand’s perfect, so peep our checklist on page 41 to help you decide.

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Thank you, next Read me before your next purchase If impulsive’s your middle name, this one is for you. When the rush to consume strikes, hit that pause button, take a breath, and interrogate where that feeling is coming from. Is it a legit need or just another dopamine distraction? Only you know the answers, so be super honest with yourself – we don’t judge!

thank u, next Ariana Grande

Start here Do you need it?

Like, really?

No, but when do we ever need anything?

My bank balance would cry.

Can you actually afford it? (Klarna doesn’t count!)

I’m ready to splash the cash.

It’s more of a Janice Ian moment.

Would it vibe with your current wardrobe?

It’d fit right in like Cady Heron.

Do you already own something similar?

Oof, how could you tell?

Obvs!

Clothes worth wearing are worth repairing.

In theory, yes… but in practice?

Probs not.

Would you still want it if you waited a week?

Oooh I’ll try that first.

Are you really just hungry?

Or bored?

Or spiraling?

Defo!

Good things come to those who wait.

Could you borrow, swap, or DIY instead?!

Not this time – I checked.

This is coming from a calm & collected place.

ADD TO BASKET

SAVE YOUR COIN You’ve got a lil crush, but are you really after another one night stand?

Keep searching for that special piece or, better yet, stay single.

You don’t need a new fling every week – you’re already the main character!

If it broke, would you bother to mend it?

Tbh, I’d have moved on.

Nope, this is a fresh & cute addition.

Yes, but I need it in every colour!

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This is more than a want.

S

cided ? unde t il l

PHONE A FRIEND You’re in the danger zone, bestie.

Step away from the checkout and send a screenshot to the group chat. If it passes the vibe check tomorrow, it’s yours.

Like a That’s So Raven vision, you see a long-term future with your new beau.

Just promise to love them in sickness (a trip to the tailor) and in health (slayworthy mirror pics). Want to triple-check they’re The One? Hit up our Eco or Oh No? Checklist.

Ecoor OH NO?

Check On It

Beyonce feat. Bun B & Slim Thug

Will your fave brands pass the test?

“We care about people and planet” said every brand ever, while the planet burns faster than a Love Island situationship.

Shopping ethically and knowing who to trust in an industry designed to confuse you can be exhausting. It’s hard to know what’s real and what’s just reputation rehab.

But if we can stalk our ex’s cousin’s new partner’s dog on IG, we can stalk a brand before buying. This checklist isn’t about being the perfect shopper (capitalism literally won’t allow it), it’s about spotting the spin, asking sharper questions, and refusing to be duped by designer lies or PR fluff.

Let’s find out if that “green” brand is actually clean or just an oil spill in “organically dyed” clothing.

Are garment workers paid a living wage – not just the legal minimum?

Because “ethical” means nothing if the peo ple making your clothes can’t afford rent, food, or scho ol.

Check out Fashion Checker. You migh t just be shocked at how many brands – luxury inclu ded – aren’t paying fairly.

How much are they actually producing ?

Their production volumes SPEAK volumes .

If they’re dropping 100+ new styles a wee k, no amount of “eco-friendly” tags can hide the waste.

Mass production = mass pollution.

Peep the Speak Volumes campaign and call on brands to do better.

Are they still hooked on fossil fuels?

Spoiler Alert

No brand is perfect. But if they fail most of these? It’s giving eco-sploitation.

What’s it made of?

“Sustainable materials” is cheap talk if they ’re just switching virgin polyester for 10% recy cled polyester, and calling it a day.

Bookmark this fabric guide to figure out which fibres are for you.

Who owns them?

That cool ethical brand? It might be ban krolled by a billion-pound parent company that ’s all-in on sweatshops, shell companies, and shad y supply chains.

Always check who’s really cashing in.

Do animals get a say?

Their clothes might be “to die for”... bec ause animals literally did. Making fashion fair for everyone is cute. But animal cruelty? Not on our watc h.

Polyester = plastic = oil. And let’s not forg et about air shipping miles, coal-powered factories, and oil-based dyes.

Watch the Slay doc for the full low-dow n.

If they’re not actively making moves, they ’re greenwashing.

How do they score on ethical ranking

sites?

If a brand claims to care, but consistently flops on independent audits? Red flag.

Try places like Ethical Consumer that rank brands on everything from tax avoidance to workers ’ rights.

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You are so much more than a consumer Don’t let capitalism convince you otherwise

on Mel here. When I first found out how sh*t the fashi g fast buyin stop to was ion industry is, my knee-jerk react the do to me nd arou one fashion and encourage every t magically same. The tea is my silent, solo “boycott” didn’ clothes. my make who le improve conditions for the peop n, and actio ctive colle sure, Real change takes public pres international solidarity. al I still avoid buying new, but I no longer think ethic n’t mean does consumption alone will fix the system. That up with keep it’s not meaningful. Ditching the pressure to actually that n trends has helped me make space for actio a of less matters. Shopping intentionally has become for nded grou solution and more of a practice, keeping me the long haul.

internet You don’t have to scroll very far before finding action ctive colle and es choic idual discourse pitting indiv sitch. or r eithe an not It’s stly? hone against each other. But le doing Collective action is made up of individual peop don’t So e. wher some start all We small things together.

You can. you what doing from you let online debates stop e. renc diffe a make to ist activ an as don’t need to identify and , enjoy you what out e figur at, Find what you’re good use it to support a bigger cause. It all adds up!

Whataboutism = serving major deflection to minimise the issue and stop people talking on it.

Neoliberalism = a political philosophy that puts our future in the hands of brands. It’s obsessed with deregulation and privatisation, commodifying liberation, and promoting individualism over community.

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Ethical consumption isn’t an overnight fix Neoliberalism tells us our “vote” lives in our wallet. But let’s be real, what are we even voting for? There’s no dropdown menu at checkout saying “living wage for garment workers”. There’s no ballot for organic cotton or real climate strategy. And, in this system, some people’s wallets will always “vote” louder than others.

We also need to ask who this narrative benefits. The myth of “fixing” the industry by buying a different tee has been carefully crafted to protect big corps. It delays real accountability, distracts us with guilt, and derails actual regulation. Ew. It’s not just fashion. Way back in 2005, BP spent millions popularising the carbon footprint calculator. Not because it cared, but to make us think we were the problem not Big Oil. Around the same time, BP spent over $100 million a year rebranding from British Petroleum to Beyond Petroleum. Two decades later, it’s still profiting from fossil fuels. Sound familiar? It’s like Big Fashion blaming overconsumption, and ignoring how much it overproduces.

That guilt spiral is by design, and can quickly lead to shame, paralysis, or judging others for how they shop.

Every classist headline about Primark queues, every viral takedown of Depop sellers, every “stfu you filmed this on an iphone” comment - it all distracts us from the real villains: billionaire CEOs and the politicians enabling them.

Shopping in line with your values comes with huge time, size, and income privilege, but most fast fashion customers aren’t who the media makes them out to be. The average Shein shopper is around 34 and spends $100 a month. It’s not those shopping out of necessity (and making clothes last!) who are fuelling this industry. It’s disposable income that keeps the machine running.

Let’s get one thing straight: we’re all contradictions under capitalism. That’s not an excuse for inaction or whataboutism, but it is a reminder that perfection isn’t the point. If we only listened to people who’d never shopped at Zara or impulse-bought something they later regretted, who would be left to speak? The richest 1% is responsible for the same amount of emissions as the poorest 66% of humanity. That’s where the spotlight belongs. We need to punching up at them, not down or across.

Gives You Hell

The All American Rejects

To boycott or not to boycott Tricky! There’s a big difference between personal boycotts and coordinated ones designed with workers at the centre. Yes, boycotts have powered historic wins – from the Montgomery Bus Boycott to BDS – but in fashion, they can sometimes do more harm than good.

Why? Because when we pull support without warning, garment workers usually pay the price. That’s why it’s vital to follow the lead from the people who make our clothes. Unions in the Clean Clothes Campaign network, for example, rarely ever advocate for boycotts. Instead, they ask us to show up, share their demands, and build public pressure. It’s this triangle of solidarity – workers, NGOs, and supporters – that’s the winning formula!

So our take? Boycott when asked, and support garment worker campaigns all year around. Oh, and don’t throw away any old clothes you have from cancelled brands! Patch over the logo if you want, but channel that disappointment into action, not into landfill.

You’re a person first, consumer second What we’re saying is: we don’t care how you shop. We care how you act. You’re not just a passive consumer; you’re someone with agency. You can make a difference. Real power comes when we think beyond the shopping basket and realise that sustainability isn’t something we buy – it’s something we do.

Collective action looks like standing in solidarity with garment workers and amplifying their demands.

It’s signing petitions, emailing brands, flooding comment sections, organising your time with others (we can never escape a spreadsheet).

It’s contacting your MP, donating, volunteering, protesting. It’s dragging brands where it hurts most – their reputation – and exposing greenwashing. If you’re wondering where to get started, head to page 46.

And BTW... it works! Worker-led campaigns have won back millions in stolen wages. They’ve gotten union leaders freed from prison. They’ve forced 260+ brands to sign a legally binding agreement that’s saved thousands of lives. It took years to get Levi’s to sign the Pakistan Accord, but collective pressure wins!

As Elizabeth Cline puts it: this isn’t “a free pass to stop caring – Rather, it’s the opposite: This is a call to action to take all that time and energy you would be putting toward curating that perfect ethical lifestyle and weaponising it to transform the marketplace in ways that tackle root causes.

We must not mistake Ethical Consumption—a private act— for political power or organised, collective social change that benefits everyone.”

So quit obsessing over your wardrobe and start looking outward. Collective action doesn’t have to mean being loud or on the frontlines. It can look like researching, emailing, designing, translating, or just showing up. You’ll feel less lonely and way less hopeless once you start acting with others. You have power – this is your reminder to use it!

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We're doing self-care wrong A face-mask is fun but is it really healing?

It’s exhausting being someone who cares in a world that doesn’t. The constant doomscrolling, the guilt, the overwhelm – it all piles up into inaction. Enter self-care: once a radical act of survival, now reduced to a pastel-pink skincare fridge.

Search ‘self care’ on TikTok and, before you can even see a video, you’re met with TikTok shop recommendations.

What follows? 12-step beauty routines, retail therapy vlogs, and ‘glow up’ tips – because nothing says healing like buying more stuff.

There’s no getting around it: self-care has been commodified beyond recognition. The same industries that manufacture our insecurities package up and sell us back the “solution”.

Think about the way fashion traps us in an endless buyregret-repeat cycle. Our insecurities are so profitable, the wellness industry is worth over $6.3 trillion. Trillion!

It wasn’t always like this. During the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Panthers popularised self-care as a political necessity. While incarcerated, Angela Davis and Ericka Huggins practiced meditation and yoga. Shortly after their release, they introduced wellness programmes promoting proper nutrition and physical movement. They understood that, in the long fight against injustice, they needed to build resilience, and protect their community when the oppressive state they lived in would not. Audre Lorde puts it best: “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is selfpreservation, and that is an act of political warfare”.

This is the energy we’re bringing back. We’re not saying ditch your gua sha or bin your bath bombs if it brings you joy (although, check they’re not messing up your PH). This is your gentle reminder to balance the bubble baths with care that isn’t rooted in consumption. Here’s how:

And let’s not ignore the patriarchal fluff disguised as self-love: pink razors (with added pink tax), age-defying lotions, and “everything showers” (that still make you feel not enough). No wonder we’re exhausted. We’re so busy perfecting the outside, we’ve forgotten to nurture the inside.

Touch grass Seriously. We weren’t designed to be in 9-5 jobs. We were meant to frolic in forests, forage berries, and feel the sun on our face. It sounds obvious but being in nature is soothing for the soul so, with love, go and touch some grass.

Rest & reset Girlboss hustle culture is so out.

Proper rest is in. In a world that can’t separate worth and productivity, choosing rest is resistance. Let yourself sleep, switch off, and slow down. P.S. What’s restful for your brain might be different for your body, so carve out time for both!

Seek joy Anger is so valid. But so is joy! You’re allowed to be happy and hopeful. It reminds us of what kind of world we’re fighting for. Do what makes you feel alive – reading, scrapbooking, sewing, eating good food – and remember, not everything has to become a side hustle!

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Survivor

Destiny’s Child

Nourish your body Water. Food. Rest. Movement.

That’s self-care 101. That doesn’t mean it has to be boring. Bonus points for dancing in your undies, hairbrush mic in hand.

Now that’s hot.

bubble baths e th ed in consum ption t

Go offline

nt le re m ith inder to balan care c that is n’t r e oo

As chronically online gals, the rumours are true: screen breaks and skipping the brain rot actually helps. Mel’s job is in social media, so she’s really struggled with phone addiction over the years.

Things that have genuinely helped are: phone-free bedrooms, doing #offline48, switching off socials after 6pm, and turning off all notifications. What didn’t?

App timers you just click past.

ge

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o is y This

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(Re)Connect Stop watching everyone live their lives through your screen and start living your own! The GC is great, but nothing beats IRL connection.

Trust us, there’s a local slow fashion, gardening or community group with your name on it.

Be mindful Everything moves so fast.

We’re always thinking about the next thing, we’re never fully present. Breathe. Journal.

Meditate. Get outta your head.

Take a moment to just be.

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A survival guide for the broke and ethical

Sustainable fashion is something you do – not

buy

Can’t we just shop our way to a better world?

Ugh, as if! Resisting decades of marketing that reduces change to what’s in our shopping basket is one small way to reclaim our power. It’s the best of both worlds, unlocking joyfu l (and often free) ways to participate in sustainable fashion as an individual and collective . Solidarity never looked so good.

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46

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Nelly Furtado

Affirmations for susty babes We see it, we want it, we got it

affirmations remind us of the bad When it feels like the world is on fire, sform the fashion industry on their bitches we are. Sure, they won’t tran to keep showing up. Affirmations own, but they give us the confidence d y to fight another day. We’ve include keep us grounded, hopeful, and read some of our faves below. of out at home, or order a print version You could download and print them ’re they I, (FY own r you e s that hit or writ this mag. Either way, cut out the one or, your moodboard, your journal, or mirr r you on double sided). Stick ‘em vibe! e very cute stickers to help set the your phone case. There’s also som

I remember the people who make my clothes

I don’t let guilt & imperfection sidetrack me

I am more than what I buy

I can slow down and still make moves

My voice and my actions matter

write one that makes you feel powerful

7 rings

Ariana Grande

Turn over for more!

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I treat the planet like it’s my bestie

48

I always look beyond the labels

I show up for my community

I deserve a world where no one is exploited for a tee

I refuse to let brands define my worth

X

HOT or NOT! Greenwashing is so last season It’s not a y2k-era mag without a hot or not list, so here’s ours (minus the fatphobia and misogyny). Share yours @notbuyingitmag!

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Nelly

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READ MY LIPS The future of fashion, your way You’ve heard what we have to say, so now it’s your turn!

Fill in the blanks to create your own fair fashion fantasy.

Clothes are cute when they’re made by people who

and .

Gimme more

.

The next big trend in fashion isn’t . It’s

.

I want the best of both worlds, for fashion to . and be both Paris Hilton was right:

is so hot.

I find hope in

.

If this was an episode of That’s So Raven, her . vision would show On Wednesdays, we This mag has inspired me to .

Whatcha Say Jason Derulo

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.

Gimme, gimme more Juicy recommendations for an energy boost

Feeling thirsty for more? Here’s some juicy recommendations to quench your thirst!

Things to read Consumed by Aja Barber for opting out of consumer culture How To Break Up With Fast Fashion by Lauren Bravo for tips from your slow fashion big sis Outfit Repeater by Megan McSherry for a very woman in STEM approach to personal style Patched by Tansy Hoskins for monthly advice columns on your fashion dilemmas Wear Next by Clare Press for choosing your own fashion justice adventure What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon for creating inclusive social justice movements

Things to watch / listen to Remember Who Made Them pod for centring garment workers and demanding brand accountability Spill the Sustainabili-tea pod for the hottest and most controversial topics in fashion The Machinists doc for the human cost of fashion, as told by three garment workers The True Cost doc for a close-up into the lives of the many people and places behind our clothes Trashion doc for the realities of waste colonialism in Kenya Unravel doc for the realities of waste colonialism in India Why Buy? doc for rewiring your relationship with social media and shopping

Sites to bookmark greenwash.com for even more receipts on fashion’s Pinocchio problem theor.org for community-led solutions to waste colonialism slowfactory.earth for climate justice courses and radical education by/for the global majority whering.co.uk for bringing your Clueless digital wardrobe fantasy to life

Cuties to follow @andreacheong_ for brand quality reviews you can trust @bdsbabe for lists of brands to cop or drop @byellowtail for indigenous-led fashion rooted in land, culture & resistance @jnaydaily for unlearning excess and embracing community @katierobinson_ for video essays on internet culture, trends & fashion news @korinaemmerich for an indigenous designers’ takes on justice & cultural appropriation @lottielashley for personal style tips free from microtrends @sexyclimatechange for serving c*nt in a time of ecological crisis @sustainablefashionfriend for all-tea, all-shade take on brands’ sketchiest movies @thatcurlytop for imperfect sustainable fashion & living @venetialamanna for tasty takedowns of corps from Big Oil to Big Fashion Gimme More Britney Spears

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Join the club

Get in loser, we’re going offline Oh heeeey, babe. There’s still so much we need to gossip about! And this time, we don’t want it to be a one-way convo. If you loved reading this, you’re gonna eat up the mag’s IG account where you’ll find: Even more hot takes - like fashion’s affair with AI, the dark side of dupes, and why brands are deffo not your bestie.

All future print issues, including sneak previews, BTS, and paid opps to contribute!

Event invites to hang out IRL. We’re talking stitching and bitching, charity shop crawls, and crafty socials.

We’re all about showing up: for each other, for the planet and for the people who make our clothes. If that sounds like you, come join the club @notbuyingitmag! See you there!

Mel & Yalda xo

Replay Iyaz

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THINGS W E’RE NOT BUYI NG GREENWASHING

WHATABOUTISM

MICROTRENDS

INDIVIDUALISM

WASTE CO

LONIALIS

LABUBUS

M

(SOZ)

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