Sustainability narratives and greenwashing

Hailing from the old lanes of Dadar and Bandra lived Radha Deshmukh and Rebecca Carvalho, who are completing 15 years of their friendship today. Started as childhood classmates, Radha and Rebecca must have been born to different households, but they were inseparable. Rebecca’s dad is in the merchant navy and spent most of his time sailing, while Radha’s father was the Head of Department, History, at Kirti College. It was Radha’s house that gave that solace to Rebecca and her mom, and this was just the beginning of their eternal bond. 

Festivals were a treat to watch as Radha made the perfect easter eggs for the entire Carvalho fam ritually whereas, Rebecca was always first to arrive to help Radha’s mom knead some ukadiche modaks on Ganpati visrjan. These angels tied both these households together, amidst the differences in culture and customs, with one chord of strength. And as time flew, these small girls fully grew up to become graceful, smart women ready to take onto the world. Every girl and their parents await and dread this day the most -their daughters’ marriage but for Radha and Rebecca, this was a dream come true. 

One day, Radha and Rebecca were finalizing some designs and there was one beautiful diamond studded choker which caught their eyeballs. Though the design was costing a bomb in natural diamonds, it only costed1/4th the price in Lab Grown Diamonds (LGDs). “Lab Grown Diamonds are very affordable and eco-friendly. Just like real diamonds, lab diamonds also have a grading process that ensures no one is misguided and is informed whether the diamond is worth the price. The internet is full of their advertisements and now I am convinced to only choose them,” said Rebecca. Radha on the contrary was surprised to know this but was happy that she could now wear the same diamond choker, as it would fit her father’s budget. 

While Radha and Rebecca are yet deciding, I’ll take over the story from here and bring some facts to your consciousness. Choice at the end is in your hands. (Also, who knows, maybe I could help Rebecca too.)

Misfortune of Misinformation ft. Lure of the Lab-Grown Diamonds

It’s no secret that the natural diamond industry is a product of violence and exploitation. Natural Diamonds or mined diamonds or casually referred to as ‘blood diamonds’, have often been the centre of discission for- ethics. Around 65% of the world’s diamonds are from the forced laborers of Africa, mined in conflict areas. 

Ideally referring to a lab-grown diamond as ‘ethical’ should not be unjustified, instead eliminate the very need of mining altogether and help to market the ultimate sustainable choice for the environmentally conscious. 

In an interview, Scott Thompson, founder of Carat, via Professional Jeweller quoted that, “According to The Economist in 2016, lab-grown diamonds will make up 75% of gem-grade diamonds by 2050. However, the market has grown 500% in the last four years, so I think recent numbers show us this might happen much sooner.”

Lets see what the LGD gang says: 

- The aging of natural diamonds can lead to imperfections since there is no human intervention to remove them. But opting LGDs leaves us with identical replicas of the same without that shine of natural beauty. 

- A lab can make diamonds out of thin air in weeks, or even days, whereas the process of extracting natural diamonds itself is an expansive task involving a village of labour, yards of earth’s crust and billions of years to procure the same. Unknown to many, there are specific identification tools that can easily differentiate between a week old diamond from billions of years old one. 

- Lastly, it is said that the diamonds made in a lab are extremely affordable. According to analyst Paul Ziminisky, a consumer who spent $10,600 for a laboratory-grown diamond in 2016 could have bought the same stone in 2023 for almost $2! However, with 6-7 million carats of lab-produced diamonds in 2020 alone, doesn't leave this 'eco-friendly' counterpart on a very modest front either.

Unpolished laboratory diamond being made. Credit: Lightbox Jewellery

All the above is what you have been reading, what is not spoken about is the dark truth. The High Pressure-High Temperature (HPHT) method of making lab diamonds requires 1,500°C of temperature. Whereas Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) method requires 800°C of heat in a chamber filled with gases. To add to this, China is the world's largest producer of lab-grown diamonds where 55% of its power comes from coal and just 20% from renewable hydro sources. In India 75% of grid power comes from coal and 10% is hydropower.

If your algorithm doesn't expose this, rather flashes, "eco-conscious," or "sustainable" without specific evidence', or even better, lures you into “discounts on diamonds this Valentine's day”- congratulations, the PR/Advertising and Lobbying team have outdone- you have been a victim of greenwashing.

Green or Greenwashing?

Greenwashing means using incorrect information to mislead consumers about their environmentalism or breach of sustainability laws. Just like how we use whitewash to hide our homes' crevices and cracks, similar. 

Brands that confuse the consumer between ‘green’ and ‘greenwashing’ put their organizations’ reputation at risk in front, of those who have paid a premium for what has turned out to be a false claim. Now, if all that glitters is not gold, then perhaps all that sparkles is also not diamonds. 

Dr. Kathryn Moore, senior lecturer in critical and green technology metals at the UK's University of Exeter highlighted that that since LGDs lack transparency, they will not have the chance to learn the same types of lessons before they scale, which would do more damage than good, while operating under the guise of being environmentally friendly. To make it clear, the debate here isn’t about choosing Lab grown diamonds or Natural diamonds, but to make any choice with ample ‘awareness’.

Internet is often partially reporting and bloating non verified claims just to align with the algorithm. But favouring the popular narrative of ‘conscious consumers’, highlighting the benefits of LGDs is a 'meaty' narrative that proves a potent positioning. And that’s clearly worked. 

A research paper published in 2022 titled 'The Effects of Materialism on Consumer Evaluation of Sustainable Synthetic (Lab-Grown) Products' highlights the effectiveness of positioning products to emphasize their ethical qualities in a market. Ppositioning the product to highlight its ethics is effective for those who are low in materialism and would not fly with those who are high in materialism. Consumers low in materialism perceive these products to be more valuable, as it maintains their social status and now we are sure of this mentality to be a product of Greenwashing.

The rise of greenwashing, an unfortunate consequence of the sustainability movement, highlights the need of our due diligence. By carefully examining these claims, we can truly reward the brands that are genuinely putting efforts to survive sustainably. Vote with our wallet!

As Emma Watson once said, "As consumers, we have so much power to change the world by just being careful in what we buy." We hope we do.