Commodifying Sustainability? Examining Ecolabels Employed

Consumers are increasingly aware of the detrimental environmental and human impacts of their apparel purchases. In response, the widespread use of ‘ecolabels’ has risen to resolve the asymmetry of information between shoppers and businesses. This research project presents an observation of the Canadian ecolabel market and determines which ecolabels are being used by Canadian apparel companies. Data sets were created to identify all ecolabels adopted within the textile and apparel industry and all Canadian apparel companies. The results indicate that ecolabels are favoured by large apparel companies and their use is not an accurate representation of brands’ sustainable initiatives. Key takeaways include ecolabels’ failure to account for the scale of companies seeking certification and the power imbalances created by Western governed ecolabels. This study calls attention to the commodification of sustainable efforts through the use of labelling schemes and discusses the implications of widespread ecolabel use in the apparel industry.