preprints.org > environmental and earth sciences > ecology > doi: 10.20944/preprints202406.0828.v1

Preprint Case Report Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Version 1 : Received: 12 June 2024 / Approved: 12 June 2024 / Online: 12 June 2024 (17:56:17 CEST)

Although being one of the most popular world fibres, wool industry is addressed with severe environmental allegations. While majority of scientific texts does not leave to much doubt about its production negative impact on the ecosystem, wool business does not stop to promote itself via green claims. The internet popular links present a divergent, positive picture of that material, where one might recognize parties being financially involved in such communication. As wool producers or organizations linked to wool business are top positioned in the web as providers of wool green image, the below article brings an interpretation of the industry greenwashing techniques. This comparative analysis of wool umbrella institutions’ webpages exposes myths endorsed about wool’s sustainability. The investigation follows case study of Woolmark brand, where associations to similar, highly ranked websites were conducted likewise. The results have been additionally matched with available scientific data from LCA relative statistics and The Higg Index, to provide contra argumentation from academic sources. The results of this paper could be used both by researchers or fashion lecturers, likewise by fashion marketers to recognize greenwashing techniques, to deliver adequate scientific numbers about unsustainable aspects of wool and to support them in creating a relevant content about wool’s environmental impacts.

wool LCA; greenwashing; Higg Index; wool sustainability

Environmental and Earth Sciences, Ecology

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