....and buy Fast Fashion.
This is the motto that came to me when I came accross this sweater in Zara last week. A Snoopy/Peanuts special collection (for which I have seen this item only) with a fairly simple message that would normally make my heart beat a little stronger.
Actually, no, I have to be honest: when I saw the lady next to me hesitate, then take it, I fell like I had to have a look myself.
I have actually never really followed the adventure of the little beagle and its friends, so it did not make sense to me to consider the design as interessant. You know, it's like wearing the tshirt of a band that you actually do not know, just because it looks nice or cool at a specific time.
Then, my reflex was actually to look at the label and check out the origins and the quality of the sweater (this is probably the first thing I should have checked, obviously).
Save Our Planet and buy a sweater that was made in Argentina (or was it Colombia? I can't remember exactly) with textile from Zanzibar and shipped to be sold all the way back to Switzerland.
The sweater is also part of the Join Life - Care for Fiber collection, meaning its content is comprised of "at least 25% recycled polyester" (for a total of 87% for the outer shell 98% of the so-called secondary fabric).
And while I am pleased to see that the recycling information is disclosed on the brand's website, there is no trace of the production location, and by extension the number of kilometers crossed by the sweater (let's even not talk about life-cycle assessment here, if you don't mind).
A little counter-productive and absurd, don't you think?
And again, my heart did beat a little stronger at the view of an environmentally-friendly message, so I would not be the one casting the first stone.
My message to the brands:
Please, stop using environment and sustainability as selling messages or arguments, and be more genuine in your work to reduce your business' environmental footprint.
My message to the customers like me who thought this would not be too bad of an idea:
Be curious, read the labels and keep yourself informed to make responsible consumption choices.