Talks about greenwashing are everywhere. Media, activists, researchers, scholars—all are raising their concerns about what it seems to have become a huge problem of our time.

The positive aspect in these rising talks is that the public interest for sustainability is increasing and dubious, vague statements concerning the green commitment of a company are not being blindly accepted anymore. But what is greenwashing? It is not an easy job to define. In fact, there is no unique and acknowledged definition for this phenomenon, and without a clear track to be followed, it is easy to confuse what’s allowable and what’s not. But, in general, greenwashing may be defined as the capitalisation on the increasing demand for environmentally friendly products, obtained through omissions or lies by a company. Or again it can be summed up as marketing or communication strategy used by companies pledging on their efforts to reduce their environmental impact, when in fact, there is no effort at all.

This lack of clarity may mislead the members of the textile value chain, who would like to rely on truly sustainable partners but have troubles in identifying them. On the other side, customers who are becoming more and more aware of the importance of supporting companies that work transparently, by working for them, buying from them and investing in them, find themselves with little to no guidance at all, in a mare magnum which is extremely difficult to navigate.

Then, how can we fight against greenwashing if we do not know what is it and how to avoid it? There are some key factors to recognise the authenticity of a company’s commitment to sustainability, such as consistency, tradition, actions and certifications. Let’s consider Italian ink manufacturer JK Group, a company leader in the production of innovative inks for digital textile printing, which has been producing water-based inks since its digital journey began in 2000. In particular, let’s analyse its concrete actions, which always represent an efficient way to test the effort of a company, and take its BIB (Bag-In-Box) packaging as a perfect example. It consists of a flexible PE or multi-layer plastic bag inside a cardboard, used to store inks. Not only does the BIB determine 80 per cent reduction in the use of plastic, compared to the traditional HDPE containers, but it also has many other advantages. It assures a better ink maintenance, thanks to the packaging’s enhanced physical and mechanical protective properties. BIB is smaller than usual containers and this translates into less storage and shipping costs, together with a decreased effect on the supply chain environmental impact. Moreover, BIB’s outer cardboard shell can be easily recycled, leading to another step towards circularity in this industry.

Certifications are another extremely concrete and tangible guarantee of a sustainable and ecological production and nowadays they can work as a strong proof of reliability. This is because most certifications are not mandatory, they are voluntary, and this alone provides a huge clue about the effort of a company. JK Group has chosen to comply with International and European (REACH) regulations and directives related to chemicals hazards and to the most well-respected textile standards of a sustainable production chain. In choosing to comply with voluntary eco-standard, such as Eco-Passport, ZDHC, GOTS and with Brands Restricted Substances Lists, JK Group has chosen to walk the road of transparency and, being these certifications annual, to maintain commitment through time and high-quality throughout its diversified portfolio, which includes disperse, pigment, reactive and dye-sub formulas. Such values are intrinsic to JK Group DNA and are well present in the mind of the R&D team, which constantly works to design eco-friendly, certificated and efficient new products.

We yet may not have a final definition of what greenwashing is, but we have some guidelines about what to look for in a company, and this in more than enough to start our green commitment.