Why You Should Look Out for Sustainable Certifications

COVID-19 has upended consumer lives and changed buying behaviour for the better. An increasing number of consumers are now making more environmentally-sound purchases than ever and are likely to continue doing so even after the pandemic ends. While it is a highly welcomed choice, sustainable shopping does come with its own set of challenges — authenticity being one of them.

Key Takeaways:

• Brands that have been sustainably certified by a third party certification body are more likely to be trusted by skeptic consumers
• Certifications are allotted by various independent organisations after thorough inspection and examination
• Knowing what certifications are commonly used to attest sustainable clothes is key

The soaring demand for sustainability has led to companies wanting a big slice of the pie as they resort to marketing tactics like labelling their products as ‘ethical’, ‘conscious’ or ‘organic’. As a result, the prevalence of greenwashing is making it hard for consumers to tell the difference between brands that are genuinely following sustainable practices and which ones are just exploiting its current popularity. In its recent Consumer Trust in Sustainability Report, Compare Ethics, a sustainability verification platform, claims that trust has become a primary purchasing determinant. The report states that a significant 83% of respondents would be more likely to have faith in a product’s sustainability claim if it had been verified by a third party. 

Sustainable certifications are a form of third-party verification that set voluntary norms and standards relating to environmental, social, ethical conditions. They are allotted by various independent organisations after thorough inspection and examination. GOTS, B-Corp, Bluesign, OEKO-TEX Standard 100 are just some of the many commonly known certifications in the textile industry. In the same way that consumers tend to seek and trust certified food labels, these traceable eco-labels provide confirmation that an independent entity has graded the product. And evidently, they have proved to increase consumer confidence in the authenticity of product claims. Research conducted by Compare Ethics also supports this notion as when provided with three ‘sustainable’ product advertisements, 44% of respondents voted for the iteration that included certifications at the bottom.

As a brand, we understand our responsibility and the role we play in our commitments towards sustainability. Which is why we are dedicated to producing garments from the most sustainable fabrics we can source while staying true to the premium quality that our shoppers have come to expect and love. The organic cotton we use is 100% GOTS Certified; this provides us with assurance that every single cotton fibre used is certified organic and meets their minimum requirement of 70% natural organic fibres. Additionally, the certification has a strict set of protocols that are focused on the environmental, social and ethical impacts related to manufacturing.

Our products are also Organic Content Standard Certified (OCS) that not only verifies the presence and amount of organic material in a final product but also traces the organic fibre flow throughout the entire textile supply chain to allow a corresponding organic ‘fibre claim’ in the final textile product. 

If you are interested in knowing more, take a look at our ultimate guide to sustainable certifications for more information. In the meantime, you could also peruse through some of our certified organic cotton clothes for men and organic cotton clothing for women.

Published by: Vibhuti Vazirani/ 2021-01-16