A new poll launched ahead of the first ever Organic Textile Week (15th-21st May 2023) reveals people are turning their backs on clothing brands that are intentionally misleading them.
2,000 people across the UK took part in the survey, with the following numbers to share:
70% said that if they found out a brand was falsely claiming their products were organic, they would be less likely to purchase that brand in the future.
Three in five people polled (59%) said they were “angry” or “disgusted” to find out that some clothing brands claiming to be organic may actually contain hazardous synthetic pesticides and other chemicals.
Almost three in five people (57%) assume the clothes and textiles they buy are genuinely sustainable. Consumers are not interested in buying from companies who engage in greenwashing – that is, making false or misleading claims to exaggerate their sustainability efforts.
On the flip side, over three quarters of respondents are unsure or unclear of what certified organic textiles actually mean and almost a third of Brits didn’t know organic textiles or clothing even exist (29%).
Over half (56%) don’t know how to recognise whether or not an item of clothing or textiles are certified organic or not - HINT - look for the GOTS logo.
Almost a quarter (24%) of those surveyed are aware of the term ‘organic textiles’ which is a heartening start for the campaigners.
Over half of Brits (54%) said they would actively look to buy more organic hemp and linen clothing products certified to GOTS.
The numbers show that consumers are interested in organic textiles and there is a room for learning more about their benefits.