The terminology around any kind of green claim is often unspecific and opaque. It might sound good, it might tick a box, but what does it really mean? When a brand claims that they are eco-friendly or sustainable, what do they mean? Do they mean that they are slightly better than the worst in their industry? Or do they mean they are absolutely the gold standard? Very interestingly, the European Green Claims Directive is setting out to change all this, and it should make everything a lot simpler. It is legislation designed to ensure that green claims are clear, consistent, and substantiated. It is this last word that I like the most. Hopefully what 'substantiated' means is that any brand saying they are sustainable will have to follow up (within 1-2 clicks) with precisely what they mean. They will have to show proof.
I think the Directive will work as the consequences are high - fines of up to 4% of company turnover! As most fashion brands sell in the EU, this impacts everyone. We have a couple of years to get our collective acts together.
In the meantime, let me give you some definitions of common terms - precisely the kinds of words that so many companies are using (some correctly, and some with very little genuine understanding of what they mean).
By the way - lots of brands, including us, use these terms regularly. Why? Because you are searching for them. Lots of people want to buy products that are better for the planet, and if we don't use these terms you won't be able to find us on any of the browsers (like Google, Ecosia, Bing etc.). They are literally search engine signposts. Hopefully, when the legislation beds in, these sign-posts will more accurately lead you to companies that are genuinely doing the work, rather than those that say they do, or think they do.
Sustainable: Now this is perhaps the most overused. But it is really important. I think the best way to understand it is by understanding its opposite (see below). To be sustainable means that it has to be able to keep going, for the long term, and it must be defensible. The sun is sustainable (it is set to burn out in 5 billion years but that is pretty long term). Our use of fossil fuels, to the detriment of future generations, is not.
Unsustainable: Perhaps one of my favourite definitions, and the best way to understand sustainability is often through its inverse. Unable to be maintained in the long term or indefensible*. I love that last word, indefensible. Most people know when something is wrong and yet the bulk of economic activity is based on extraction and exploitation, which is unsustainable. This is the challenge of our time, revolutionising the economy. The economy makes money and creates jobs, but largely by putting future generations at risk. Elvis & Kresse is in many ways a living experiment; it is how we are trying to circle this square, or solve this problem.
Upcycling: The art of transforming a low value waste into a new item of higher value. Upcycling traditionally does not involve a chemical or mechanically destructive process, rather it relies on the creative reuse and reinvention of materials, celebrating what they are and fulfilling their highest potential. This is what we do.
Recycled: If something is recycled, it means it has been made again from materials that were previously in use. Glass is a great example of a material that can be recycled, it can be smashed, melted down and made again and this can happen forever. Plastic can be recycled too, but we know that it really isn't being recycled at anywhere near its production and consumption rates and its quality does degrade through time. Recycling is great but Reducing and Reusing are better, they are higher up in the hierarchy of 'eco-friendliness'. Ideally we shouldn't produce any materials that can't be reused, recycled, or returned to nature through biodegradation or composting. But! In order to have a 'sustainable' system like this we have to reduce the materials flowing through it and we absolutely have to stop producing materials that can't be recycled. You will often see labels that say, 'made with recyclable materials', this just means that it CAN be recycled, not that it has been... so not quite as good. Other labels will say 'contains recycled content', which is also confusing unless followed up by specifics like which materials and what percentage. When I see a label like 'made from recycled cotton', I get very nervous, as often this means it also contains recycled polymers; this is then a Frankenfabric which we currently have no scaled way to deal with and it makes recycling and/or composting impossible.
Eco-Friendly: This is a very loose term and I don't like it. It doesn't have a specific enough meaning. However, it should be an objective. We should all be thinking about how every aspect of our lives can be better for the environment, or more eco-friendly. Eating a local, seasonal diet that is plant heavy is more eco-friendly than living in the UK and living on a diet of California strawberries, Florida Orange Juice and Argentinian Steaks. Reusing and refilling your own water bottle with tap water is more eco-friendly than buying single use plastic bottled water. You can get into the weeds on this one, especially when you start looking at life cycle analysis and full carbon accounting and this is why loose terms like this are tricky, it means you have to do your own research.
Life Cycle Analysis (LCA): Understanding every aspect and ingredient associated with making a product, using a product, and even the death of that product! The LCA of your coffee mug would involve studying the environmental impact of digging up the clay, forming, painting and firing the mug, transporting it to you, how many times you use and wash it, how you wash it and when it has smashed beyond repair, what you do with it.
Carbon Accounting: This is adding up all the CO2 associated with a product or process. If you go back to your mug, it involves all of the carbon embedded in every step or process of the LCA. Some products will have a carbon label, saying how much CO2 it took to get it to you. Others will say that they are carbon neutral, which means that the carbon associated with that good has been accounted for and 'paid for'. How do you pay for carbon? Well, you can offset it, this could be by planting an amount of trees to make up for the carbon you have spent. You can inset it, by making sure that planting those trees or some other form of carbon sequestration took place during the making of the mug. You can also do everything to eliminate carbon, and actually rethink how you make, so that more carbon is removed from the atmosphere because of choosing and using your mug (this is what Elvis & Kresse is trying to do with the farm).
All Natural: This is something I never believe without double checking. Some companies argue that anything that exists on earth - whether synthesized by human activity, or toxic, or endangered - can be called 'natural'. As a start, in my books if it has been man-made, it isn't natural. This is a term that always requires further research.
Natural Materials: Natural materials are ones that are grown, and without intervention, can be returned to a natural state (biodegradable). Wood is natural, cotton is natural, wool is natural. I am personally a huge proponent of these, but not if they are 'unsustainably' grown. There is a big difference between regenerative organic cotton and chemically intensively grown cotton that is heavily irrigated.
Organic: This word can have a couple of meanings, based on context. All natural materials, things that grow, are organic. Trees are organic, people are organic. However, in the context of fashion, to me, organic should only be used if something is certified which means that it has been grown in the absence of synthetic chemicals (pesticides and fertilizers). In the UK we have the Soil Association; products that carry this label are certified as organic and the farms that they are derived from are certified. Now, this can also get tricky. What if you start with organic cotton, but then you use inorganic screen printing? Read labels, ask questions - curiosity is something to nurture!
Vegan: Containing no animal or animal derived materials. Eggs are not vegan, honey is not vegan, dairy products are not vegan, leather is not vegan. In the fashion world we have a lot of debate about natural materials vs plastic materials (nylon, polyester etc.) Overwhelmingly fashion is polymer based and this is a problem. These clothes are generally not recycled, they are overwhelmingly dumped, and we have no solution to the pollution they cause during their life (the shedding of microplastics) and when they die. So although polyester is vegan, this doesn't in any way make it 'sustainable'. No fossil fuel derived fashion meets even the basic premise of sustainability, as they are based on non-renewable resources and 'can't be maintained in the long term'.
Recyclable: This means that a material can be recycled. Virgin materials (new materials) like glass, aluminium and cardboard are all 'recyclable' but it is up to YOU to make that happen. The hard work comes next.
Biodegradable and Compostable: I am going to tackle these together as they are related, but slightly different. Both terms require that micro-organisms can break something down, over time, into water, CO2, and biomass. Biodegradable just means this will happen over an unspecified time frame in unspecified conditions whereas compostable generally means under specific conditions and in a specific time frame. I urge all of you to study and start composting. We have huge compost piles at the farm and the speed depends on how well the piles are designed (layering of different types of material is key), moisture levels and temperature. It is generally easier to compost when it is warmer and wetter. There are certifications for 'compostable' which might specify no residue after 90 days, or might require certain temperatures or conditions. There is also an OK Compost certification which means that the material in question should be easy to compost at home, without any fancy equipment. Here is one of our compost piles at the farm:
Repairable: This means that something can be fixed. There is a really amazing movement around The Right to Repair. Ideally all complex goods like refrigerators and laptops should be repairable, and repairable at a good price. We repair at cost for life - this is important because it is always better to keep something in service rather than replace it.
Zero-Waste Design: This is a design practice that focuses on minimizing waste. It is something that we do here! How? Our fire-hose pieces are made up of panels, the panels are the width of hoses... this means we have significantly reduced offcuts. We also use both the inside and outside surface of the hose, the outside has the ridges, the inside has the dimples, you can see this in action on our tote.
Living Wage: We are a certified living wage employer. This means we pay, as a minimum, wages that have been evaluated by a third party to ensure that those earning these wages can have a good quality of life. We pay these not just at our HQ but also in our manufacturing, and that is unique. There are many living wage companies that have long, complicated supply chains and the further you go from the HQ the less likely a living wage will be.
Circular: This is a term that refers to the goal of a circular economy, where all things are recycled or composted, and there is no material that is linear (taken, made, wasted). Crucially, a circular economy has to be powered by renewable energy. We can't fuel a circular system with a linear fuel! In the circular utopia that Elvis & Kresse is after capital is also circular - this is why we donate 50% of our profits to charity. Money should also flow and not be concentrated.
Regenerative: There is no single definition, but for us it means doing more. In practical terms it means that you give more than you take, you sequester more carbon than you emit, you generate more (renewable) energy than you consume, you treat more water than you use, you foster more biodiversity than you corrupt and you create more than you destroy.
Green Washing: This is everywhere!!!!! A lot of companies do one little green thing and it is all they talk about, it is their way of rinsing off all of the unsustainable things that they do by getting their customers and wider public to focus on that one little green or good thing. It is an attempt to absolve, to confuse. Always keep in the back of your mind this quote (which we love so much we turned it into a poster and it is up on the wall of our workshop).
Green Hushing: This is a relatively new and nuanced term. A lot of companies that wanted to become more eco-friendly tried a few things and then announced them and then got so much negative scrutiny for everything they were still doing imperfectly that they have now gone dark. Green hushing has happened because there was so much greenwashing and press scrutiny that many businesses are now either not willing to try, or not willing to talk about what they are trying, for fear of negative feedback.
* Oxford English Dictionary
