It’s a critical issue of ethics that consumers know why we’re spending, on what, and the tactics that are used to part us from our money. That’s the essence of informed choice and ethical consumerism.

In the newest magazine issue of EthicalStyle.com, we cut right to the chase:

• Who’s dominating the advertising industry, anyway? Are they being straight with us, or do they have a secret agenda? You might be surprised what you read here.
• Contributing writer Adrian Desbarats, owner of green website FashionAndEarth.com, tells us how to recognize greenwashing when we see it and what we can do to protect ourselves from scurrilous marketing.
• To research the science of shopping, I dug into my college psychology and anthropology textbooks to explain how stores, displays, and sales are designed to entice us to buy.
• Reusable shopping bags are ubiquitous these days, and to capitalize on all that free advertising space, more and more companies are plastering their logos and slogans on them. But does that sully the intent of reducing waste?
• And since vintage photos are always a hit, here’s a slideshow of how advertising has altered its tactics over the past 75 years.
• Finally, if you are craving more on advertising, check out five more stories from the blog, reposted on Seam Ripper.

Green. Compostable. Biodegradable. Renewable. Natural. Organic. No matter where you go you’re likely to be bombarded by marketing messages, each claiming that their product or service is great for the environment.

Yet some of these words mean more than others.

As we all know, not every claim is backed up by reality. Labels, product descriptions, corporate press releases and websites are full of confusing, misleading and sometimes downright untruthful statements about supposedly green or sustainable products. It’s nothing new, unfortunately: The environmentalist Jay Westerveld coined the term “greenwashing” in 1986 to describe the practice of making eco-friendly claims not supported by truth.

We want to make purchases that support our values. Yet it’s difficult to know whom to trust. So how can we as consumers avoid falling prey to greenwashing?

Lucky for us, it’s a lot easier now than it was 20 years ago. Below are some ways you can be a savvy and sustainable shopper.

Third-Party Certification

There are a number of labels put out there by governments as well as independent companies whose sole purpose is to certify products as sustainable or green goods. Some are for specific industries — such as Energy Star for appliances and electronics, and Oeko-Tex or GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standards) for fabrics and apparel — and some are more generally applicable.

Becoming familiar with certifications is the easiest way to educate yourself to recognize when you’re getting what you think you’re getting. The United States, the European Union, and Japan have very comprehensive legislation regarding organic certification. In the U.S. organic farming industry, the standard is the USDA Organic seal, while in the European Union it is regulation EEC N2092/91 and in Japan it is the Japanese Organic Standard.

For organic cotton, the GOTS certification means that the cotton was grown following the U.S. National Organic standard, and that the clothing has a minimum of 95 percent organic content, meets very stringent production guidelines all the way through the manufacturing process, and includes social compliance requirements which fall in line with international fair-labor guidelines.

Unfortunately, for products produced from other natural fibers like viscose bamboo, soy, or tencel, it gets a bit fuzzy. None of the above can be certified as organic by the USDA. Anyone who wishes to purchase clothing made from any of these base fibers must ensure that the product is at least Oeko-Tex 100 certified. This excellent certification enforces strict guidelines regarding what chemicals can and cannot be used in the manufacturing process. In addition, the purchaser should also ask the seller to confirm that the base fiber is certified organic. For example, if the clothing item is made from bamboo viscose, how was the bamboo cultivated?

A word of caution: Some corporations make up their own “certifying labels” and slap them on packaging. Hence the importance of the third party; otherwise, it’s just more advertising. As an example, I have found clothing products with a “made with organic cotton” seal but when I read the label, I’ve discovered it is only 2 percent organic cotton. So while the company isn’t exactly lying, it isn’t being entirely truthful either.

Google It

If you’re unfamiliar with a particular company’s claims or its label, do an internet search on the company or its products. Many a greenwashing campaign has been exposed by bloggers and others on the Internet. (Just be sure to be fair. Do a thorough search and confirm what you find with information from multiple reputable sources.) Also, there are many environmental watchdog groups that make it their business to provide consumers with warnings of unethical behavior. Crosscheck your purchases with their databases.

Communicate

Times are changing.  Most companies realize that green isn’t just a passing fad.  Many are truly trying to improve their environmental footprint and are going so far as to add sustainability departments to their corporate structure to ease the transition to a greener future. Even big companies like Clorox and Scott Paper have undertaken eco-initiatives that just may surprise you.

If you have questions about a company or its products, by all means contact their customer service department. That’s what they’re there for, and they need to know you’re concerned. You may even alert them to consumer issues they didn’t even know were important!

About the Author

Adrian Desbarats is the owner of Fashion and Earth, an organic clothing and eco friendly clothing company. Adrian Desbarats started the company in an effort to merge his interest with sustainable living with his entrepreneurial spirit. If you’d like to learn more about green fashion or the author, visit www.FashionandEarth.com.

In an effort to call out the beauty companies that mislead consumers with talk of “natural” ingredients, TheGreenBeautyGuide.com is just what beauty mavens need to translate cosmetic labels into straight talk.

With reviews of green beauty products (and some that claim to be but aren’t) and a database of truly eco ingredients, the GBG enables you to arm yourself with the information you need to make an informed choice about what you slather on your face, body, and hair.

This is the place to learn whether rosemary makes an effective preservative, and why “synthetic lavender” is a contradiction in terms.

And for the old school among us, there’s even a book! AKA the eco-beauty’s bible. Check it out.

Reuters’ Green Business blog picked up an interesting piece yesterday on the recent expansion of Payless Shoes into eco-fashion territory.

In a welcome departure from the sustained round of applause the affordable shoe giant has been getting from the ‘green’ fashion crowd, Matter Network contributor Andrea Nocito opts for a challenge:

Payless has said selling eco fashion is important because it shows that being green can be affordable. No argument there. But, maybe an expansion of ideals is really in order. That is, selling eco fashion is more than being part of the trend and making that trend affordable so that middle America, the majority of retail shoppers, will purchase at Payless.

Selling eco fashion is about converting corrosive and destructive manufacturing practices into products that do not take away from the environment, but, dare I dream, enhance it? …

[A]n expansion of eco brands can be the answer as it will continue to close the misunderstood cycle of eco products and make eco fashion much more interesting to consumers. The more interest, the lower prices can go and the more profits for Payless.

As Nocito argues, making eco-fashion more affordable is one piece of an important puzzle: How to get more consumers interested in changing their purchasing habits, while somehow ‘giving back’ to the environment at the same time. (As she points out, Payless will plant about a billion trees through its collaboration with Zoe and Zac.)

Photo: “Laura V” by Patric Shaw on Flickrista

All right, Vogue. As much as we appreciate your heritage and all, there was something in your May issue that we just cannot let go.

Page 220, a woman shops at Whole Foods:

While my eight-month-old wriggles around in the grocery card, I’m scanning the labels, attempting to translate each ID into a concept I can understand: safe to eat or not safe to eat.

At first we thought maybe this was one of those oddball self-help stories you like to run on occasion, like “How I Beat My Paranoid Personality Disorder” or something. Or perhaps this woman is going to share her experience with raising a child with severe food allergies.

Nope. Next sentence:

Like other supermarkets, Whole Foods doesn’t provide mercury concentrations in the fish they sell.

Really?

Everyone knows there’s mercury in fish, but isn’t this a little sensationalist? We admit we’re not experts on mercury, but then again, neither is Vogue. Have people been dying from mercury in fish and we missed it? (No. We checked. Even Jeremy Piven is still at it on “Entourage.”)

(more…)

The New Republic blog published a very interesting review of the Guess party we blogged about last week. Highlights:

Michael Dumlao, the co-founder of Fashion Fights Poverty, standing next to a display of distressed men’s jeans.

“This is a very political event,” he tells me…

His organization fights poverty by throwing parties like tonight’s grand opening.

When I ask why FFP hasn’t registered with the IRS as a 501c3 charitable foundation, he insists that his “is not a company; it’s a non-profit.” Dumlao also co-founded, with Kadrieka Maiden, a PR firm called Style and Image Network, whose biggest client is Fashion Fights Poverty.

So, what makes the Guess grand opening so political? Dumlao says the party is political because it addresses the indefensible “lack of commerce in philanthropy.”

Philanthropist and PR professional. And photographer!

We’re not sure what it means to bring more commerce to giving, but these charms, t-shirts, and look books seem to fit the bill. Proceeds go to Fashion Fights Poverty. Which is indeed not technically a charity.

There’s something to be said about the fact that the mastermind behind one of the most groundbreaking sustainable fashion initiatives ever, SANS digital sewing patterns, says there is no such thing as eco-fashion:

“How can fashion possibly be good for the environment? You produce things – you make them.”

SMAC dives in with a revealing interview with designer Lika Volkova.

“Just substituting artificial fabrics with natural ones is not going to be the solution… it’s more important to come up with different values about clothes.”

One of the biggest problem in the world of fashion is that of over-production. In response, SANS has introduced downloadable patterns on their website.

Lika explains that providing patterns cuts down on carbon intensive mass production and distribution. Instead of mass producing a garment that gets shipped throughout the world, people can buy a pattern (prices range from $6 to $25) and either create clothes themselves or bring it to their local tailor to create it for them. The idea is that the garment is made locally.

“When you have a piece that you made yourself, you relate to it differently. You value it differently.” says Lika.

Brilliant.

As you may know, my own DIY journey has been hot and cold. But Volkova’s take here is really inspiring. Maybe it’s time to pick those knitting needles back up again…

(Also worth checking out: SANS Fur for A/W 2009-2010)

This article in WWD today hints at an interesting point about why more companies are taking steps to become more ecological: In these economic times going “green” makes good business sense, plain and simple.

First and foremost, consumers want it — whether they’re environmentalists, see the practical benefits of eco-products (last longer, more efficient use of energy, etc.), or are more willing to buy something with a feel-good label on it.

But “eco-friendly” measures like packaging reduction, switching to more energy-efficient production and operating methods, and encouraging customers to switch to reusable bags are cost-saving measures. It’s economical!

And as the article points out, the fact that this increased demand for green is closing the price gap doesn’t hurt either.

Higher sales, lower costs, easier transition… No wonder so many clothing companies are finally coming home to their earth-friendly customers.

Image: Untitled by Miss Lulu & The Teaspoon Shortage on Flickrista

We’re proud to announce the eleventh and very new issue of E.S., themed Illusions. Fashion is an industry built on fantasy, but sometimes advertisers and other wheeler-dealers overstep the line. In this issue, we bring you:

• A look at how greenwashing goes beyond just unsubstantiated environmental claims.
• A flip-through of the spring fashion magazines and the mixed messages they send.
• A slideshow of the most scandalous fashion headlines from the past 15 years.
• To what extent do you think print advertisements are photoshopped? Even jaded fashion followers might be surprised.
• Because of lax regulations, buying fur and faux from China remains a game of chance.
• And finally, a bit of lightness amid all this darkness: The line of creative eco-fashion by designer Brook There is the real deal.

Hollywood starlets are out in full force wearing their message tees — but only some of the shirts actually support charitable work.

High School Musical actress Vanessa Hudgens has been wearing the “We Not Me” Team USA tee by Imaginary People to “promote a more harmonious existence.” Somewhat vague, right?

And Jessica Alba has been seen out and about in her “Love In Any Language” shirt by Mighty Fine, though the company doesn’t claim to support any sort of charitable venture.

But sometimes message tees do support charity. Audrina Patridge, one of the stars of The Hills, has been spotted in a tee by Public Library for the Samburu Project (a different design for the cause has been sported by Beyoncé Knowles). Twelve percent of the proceeds from those $34 tees support water-sanitation projects in Africa.

For a slideshow of more message tees that actually support ethical ideals, click on over here.