This article on “Green Fatigue” in today’s Independent really struck a nerve with us - it’s all about how the relentless marketing of marginally environmentally-friendly products has worn down consumers, who have become skeptical about the real impact of their individual purchases on global warming and other environmental issues.
We’ve been feeling secretly guilty for a long time about how apathetic we’ve become about eco-friendly fashion. We’re all for designers using organic cotton, but we can’t get excited in the least about Loomstate for Barneys.
We hate plastic bags too, but even if they don’t get stuck in trees and destroy the world, the “I’m Not A Plastic Bag” totes are annoyingly omnipresent.
And here’s what the experts have to say:
“”The problems we face are of a magnitude no one has seen in at least two generations,” says Alex Steffen, the executive editor of WorldChanging, a website and book that promote innovative solutions for sustainable living. “The scale of the actions people are being told to take by green consumerism groups and businesses, on the other hand, are so small as to seem meaningless. I think that more and more people see this widening gulf and lose hope.”
And if we’re not all losing hope just yet, many of us are becoming increasingly cynical. To campaigners, that’s not surprising. As Steffen suggests, businesses have turned environmentalism into a marketing strategy. A new term, “green-washing”, describes companies that paint a superficial green gloss on conventional business practices. When firms such as BP and Wal-Mart parade their environmentally friendly credentials, skepticism is not only inevitable, says Steffen, it’s “a necessary antidote”.”
Do you see eco-conscious design as a marketing strategy, or do you still believe that one dress can make a difference?
—ALISON COOL
posted by pcat
Sep 20, 2007 2:16PM
It's unfortunate that all this eco-conscious marketing is turning people off to the real issues but i understand the fatigue. However, taking the best environmentally-conscious actions that fit your lifestyle is better than doing nothing at all. It's not about being socially-acceptable or fashionable, it's about self-preservation for the long term, people!