Greenwashing and the Small Asterisk
Fashion brands increasingly sell 'conscious' collections. A jacket may carry a label saying 'made with 30% recycled fibres', while the other 70% is virgin polyester. Campaigners call this 'greenwashing': using a small genuine improvement to create a vague impression of overall sustainability. The problem is not the recycled content itself, but the way such claims are presented. When a brand puts a green leaf on a hangtag and a small asterisk in the online description, it relies on shoppers not reading the asterisk. Regulators in the EU are now drafting rules that would require companies to substantiate green claims with evidence. Some brands argue the rules are too strict; consumer groups say they do not go far enough. A HAVO student is working on reference and purpose questions. She often chooses the nearest noun as the referent of a pronoun. She must also explain the writer's overall purpose in the passage.
1. In the sentence 'When a brand puts a green leaf on a hangtag and a small asterisk in the online description, it relies on shoppers not reading the asterisk', what does 'it' refer to? Explain why the nearest noun is not the answer.
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'It' refers to 'a brand'. The nearest noun before 'it' is 'asterisk', but that is the object of the preposition 'reading' and cannot sensibly 'rely on shoppers'. The verb 'relies' needs an agent that uses marketing techniques, and the sentence describes what the brand does: it places the leaf and the asterisk. The context of greenwashing also points to the company as the actor. Choosing the nearest noun would produce a grammatically and logically impossible sentence.
2. What is the writer's main purpose: to persuade readers to buy second-hand clothes, to explain a marketing problem and a regulatory response, or to prove that recycled polyester is harmful? Justify your choice.
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The main purpose is to explain a marketing problem and a regulatory response. The writer defines greenwashing, illustrates it with a jacket containing 30% recycled fibres, and locates the problem in presentation rather than in recycled content itself. The final sentence reports a disagreement about new EU rules. The text does not urge readers to buy second-hand clothes, and it does not claim recycled polyester is harmful; it says the problem is 'not the recycled content itself'.
3. What does the phrase 'vague impression' suggest about how greenwashing works?
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It suggests that greenwashing often works through ambiguity rather than a direct lie. A brand may make a small true claim ('30% recycled fibres') and surround it with visual cues such as a green leaf, creating a general feeling of sustainability. 'Vague' means imprecise, so shoppers may infer more than the claim actually says. The impression is created in the shopper's mind, helped by the small asterisk that many will not read. This is why the writer focuses on presentation, not just the percentage.