EVERYTHING IS WRONG WITH METAWASHING

Let the Violet Verse tell you everything wrong with Metawashing. With the tools blockchain technology has granted us, this technology has opened the door for new creative products and worlds to be made. This comes with some controversy in terms of the possible effects the production of NFTs have on its environment. 

But there shouldn't be much controversy if industries involved in blockchain really understood how energy consumption and sustainability actually works.

Now if you don't know, metawashing is coined by the term greenwashing. According to Eco-Age, Metawashing is when a brand spends more time and money on marketing it's virtual products metaverse projects and NFTs as sustainable instead of actually minimizing its sustainability impact. Greenwashing was coined back in the 80's by infamous environmentalist Jay Westerveld after getting a note from hotel staff in Fiji that re-using their hotel towels will "save the environment." And did it? Well no, obviously.

This may not be where greenwashing started, but coining the term created awareness enough for major corporations to now smear the "3 R's" all over ad campaigns without actually helping alleviate environmental impact. This essentially helped nothing and stirred up an eternal pot of problem for years to come. From corps like SC Johnson faking the funk with their Windex Ocean recycled bottles all the way to the fashion world like H&Ms "Looop Island" Campaign; who is currently being sued for greenwashing!

Balmain and Barbie NFT Doll https://hypebae.com/2022/1/balmain-barbie-mattel-nft-collaboration-campaign-release-date-info

These major corps just can't get enough of finding different ways to make more money so this horrible business practice has now spilled over to the use of Blockchain Technology. Now that consumers are hammering down on corporations leaving a carbon footprint with the use of NFTs and the creation of Metaverses, the need to prove what kind of carbon footprint is suddenly necessary.

We now see NFT projects like the Balmain & Barbie collaboration that was released January 13, 2022, that was powered the Flow Blockchain. Flow is known for providing an environmentally friendly transaction process that consumes less energy for securing NFTs. As well as Guerlain, a French beauty house that dropped 1,828 "Cryptobees" as part of a mission to fund biodiversity conservation.

https://www.guerlain.com/us/en-us/c/guerlain-nft-2022.html

Unlike other brands such as Adidas who has very intense sustainability goals for themselves doesn't seem to be on the best track after dropping a collab NFT collection with BAYC and GMoney, with their "Into the Metaverse" collection consisting of 30,000 NFTs on the Etherium blockchain. Housing this collection on the ETH blockchain may have not the best move with Adidas initiative to be more green, with the blockchain know to be an energy intensive blockchain.

https://news.bitcoin.com/adidas-steps-into-the-metaverse-by-partnering-with-nft-projects-bored-ape-yacht-club-punks-comic/

So with this past NYFW having no sustainability requirements or pledge that includes technology incorporated into the week, will the fashion industry continue on this path of metawashing as more brands adopt blockchain technology, or will they pull their weight and set an example for change?

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