Fashion consultancy firm CEO unboxes design solutions for industry’s waste problems

13 Oct 2023 --- The fashion industry is known to be fast-paced and trend-focused, generating waste at higher proportions than the average industry. According to the UN, the fashion industry produces 8-10% of the global carbon emissions.

Packaging Insights speaks to Diana Yanes, CEO, founder and head of design and product management at Diana Yanes Consulting, about greenwashing in the fashion packaging industry and how to shift the sector away from its linear consumption model.

Diana Yanes Consulting is a shoe design and production consultancy firm educating brands on how to achieve ecological packaging in place of complex, environmentally damaging solutions. 

What are the most common forms of greenwashing in fashion packaging?
Yanes: Depending on each brand and segment of the fashion and footwear industry, the packaging of a single object can have a box, sometimes even two, paper foiling, glue, tape, staples, cardboard, paper fillers, wrapping tissue paper, plastic bags, bubble wrap and “thank you” cards. Aside from the obvious objects we see and that we must “take off” or “cut” to take the product out of the packaging, we can look with broader eyes and realize that at least half of the items I just mentioned have been printed. To unravel greenwashing in the packaging industry, it is worth acknowledging the behind-the-scenes that goes into making a single box, tissue paper or any paper item. 

The consultancy uses recycled materials to reduce paper waste. Raw materials can be either from trees or from recycled paper. We are estimated to use over 3 billion trees yearly for paper packaging, of which 30% come from endangered forests. Energy consumption of either fossil-fueled or renewable is another factor. It is estimated that to produce one metric ton of paper, 2,700 liters of fresh water is used in the EU. However, globally, that number can go up to 115,000 liters per metric ton, depending on the mill’s capacity to recycle water. Chemicals and bleaching cause water pollution if the factory doesn’t use a correct hazardous-chemical disposal system. According to EU statistics, paper and cardboard are the primary packaging waste materials (33.7 million metric tons in 2020), followed by plastic and glass.

Transportation and packaging design is also not often considered. The reason why I put these two together is because we can’t avoid transportation. However, a smart design can avoid unnecessary volume transportation, directly affecting a reduction of CO2 emissions. Packaging designs can also intervene in many other ways when speaking of improvements. It is said that 80% of a product’s life cycle is directly linked to the design phase. 

Having seen these facts, there is plenty of space for greenwashing and misleading information. Companies highlight one environmentally sustainable aspect — for example, when a label says “30% recycled” and avoids the rest of its origin. A similar way to the previous one is by claiming “free from” but not claiming what it is “free from” instead. Companies can also implement vague or misleading labels such as “eco-friendly” without providing certification information. Additionally, companies sometimes lack transparency by failing to provide specific information about a product’s environmental impact, sourcing or production process. 

Using imagery of nature or green colors creates the impression of environmental friendliness. Also, minimalistic packaging designs make consumers think the product is environmentally sustainable. Finally, companies use false certifications and imagery similar to logos that suggest an existing certification to mislead consumers. 

Greenwashing is a complex topic, and for consumers to avoid getting into the “trap,” it is essential to get educated in environmental sustainability matters and to be curious and research as much as possible. There is no one way to get the information, nor will it happen in a one-shot course or article. However, I would urge consumers to remember that when something doesn’t resonate with you or seems unclear, it is crucial to research a bit to get your conclusions. Yanes says companies must provide certification information when using labels. 

What are you doing to mitigate greenwashing at Diana Yanes Consulting? 
Yanes: Firstly, we are committed to educating consumers and companies regarding environmental sustainability. As founder and CEO, I dedicate, on average, one day a week to research sustainability-related topics, instruct my team and generate content to spread the voice. Our primary source to generate content is through our Instagram account and newsletters. We have also created a one-chapter thread in our YouTube channel called Best Kept Secrets of Sustainability, and most recently, we have opened a Medium channel to speak solely about environmental sustainability matters in the fashion and footwear industry. 

Secondly, we try to stay as close as possible to the client to inform them of their decisions and make them understand the impact they can generate. When they allow us, we also instruct them on communicating the best practices and not giving misleading information. We are a shoe design and production consultancy firm, so the good thing is that it’s on our part of the decision-making, though the client always has the last word. 

Finally, we have been working on a biodegradable capsule collection of shoes to push forward the concept, test it and show brands how it can be done better — still respecting a reasonable market budget. This capsule has been a matter of study for almost six months, as we are working with available components in the market and tackling all the features and materials in a shoe collection, including packaging.

How do your services directly reduce waste from the fashion industry?
Yanes: We have been working on a low-environmental impact library for parts, components and materials that touch all phases of the shoe production until the final consignment to the customer. This library is divided by “sustainability impact,” so we currently have three categories: Waste reduction, low energy consumption and low water usage. 

To decrease packaging waste, designers can reduce packaging size and materials, asserts Yanes. Regarding waste reduction, we have divided our library into recycled materials and biodegradable ones. Specifically for packaging, our primary solution has been to use recycled materials. However, we are designing a new packaging for our first capsule collection that will also help us reduce waste and CO2 emissions in transportation. It is an entire rectangle with cuts that allow it to be assembled as a box once in the shoe factory. Still, before that, the volume of the shipping is consistently less, helping us save important budget in transportation and a lot of CO2 emissions. Moreover, how it’s being cut allows us to have zero waste. According to The World Counts, recycling one metric ton of paper can save up to 26,500 liters of water and 17 trees.

What do designers for fashion packaging need to do to reduce waste? 
Yanes: Product designers are not an exception to this rule. To decrease packaging waste, designers could reduce packaging size and materials to the bare minimum. Designers should implement less size, fewer fillers, less tissue paper, less “thank you” cards and paper gadgets. Designing innovative packaging shapes that, when cut, don’t produce useless waste is another solution. I prefer 100% recycled paper. Paper can be recycled five to seven times before it becomes too weak to enable recyclability — hence, there is no way we will ever stop cutting trees. However, paper packaging can prolong its life cycle by keeping it in circulation as much as possible. 

How significant is the issue of greenwashing in the fashion industry? 
Yanes: Greenwashing in the fashion industry is a very big issue. At least 90% of it is still serving for marketing purposes. I believe most of the decision-makers in the fashion industry are not getting the urge to disrupt the current way we are doing things and are being too short-sighted and narrow-minded to understand that the “cost of change” can’t be accounted for in the usual way of accounting within companies. There is a fundamental interdependence between a good working nature and business. A report by PwC in 2022 states that over 50% of the world’s GDP is highly or moderately dependent on functional natural ecosystems. Hence, if we continue not taking action, we will find ourselves desperately looking for alternatives altogether, all at the same time.

By Sabine Waldeck