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Earth Day began with purpose, and that purpose did not involve selling things. The inspiration for the first Earth Day took the form of a major oil spill off the coast of California in 1969, and has since become an annual event to promote “green” products, offer Earth Day discounts and release new sustainability reports.
Using consumerist culture to mark Earth Day is directly at odds with the underlying spirit of the global event. It promotes consumption as an answer to a problem that was caused, in large part, by overconsumption. And it perpetuates the notion that brands can tweak their way out of a mess that requires systemic change to solve.
At Vogue Business, we’ve been covering Earth Day from varying angles: the trend of “corporate hijacking” for one, and the problem, as we wrote in 2021, of making sustainability announcements without committing to wholesale change. We’ve also covered solutions: profiles of small, sustainability-centric brands that offer models other brands can follow; ways brands can communicate their efforts without sounding hollow or greenwashy; and how and why fashion needs to tackle its overproduction and overconsumption problem, which is arguably more important than improving singular aspects of the supply chain.
Most of the industry’s approach to sustainability is fundamentally problematic. Few if any brands evaluate what it would mean to operate within planetary boundaries, and then guide all business decisions accordingly.
The impetus for people to think about treading more lightly on the planet is welcome and necessary. But no company is doing enough to warrant a celebration for its impact on the planet. To cite a common cliché, every day is earth day. If brands aren’t as urgent about reducing their emissions in June or January as they are about sending press releases in April, their Earth Day efforts are meaningless.
There’s not much else to say, so Vogue Business won’t be covering Earth Day or fashion s response to it. We’ll continue as usual, focusing on the most pressing issues, and the most effective and authentic solutions.
Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@voguebusiness.com.
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