Last month, a shocking report revealed that several celebrities had exceeded their home water limits by hundreds of thousands of gallons amid the California drought.
Despite the fact that California residents have been living under strict regulations since January, stars like Kevin Hart, Sylvester Stallone, and Dwyane Wade had gone far over the permitted marks.
Kim Kardashian, for one example, purportedly went over the water limit by 230,000 gallons between two of her properties in Hidden Hills.
Similarly, Kourtney Kardashian was exposed for reportedly going 101,000 gallons over the mark within her 2-acre Calabasas home this summer.
And as well as her excessive water usage, Kourtney and her sisters often tend to fly around the world via private jet, usually flaunting their luxury travels on Instagram. Unlike Kim and Kylie Jenner, however, Kourt does not own a private jet of her own.
But, in spite of her lavish lifestyle, Kourtney has continuously preached about protecting the environment to her followers.
Back in February, the reality star reposted a “CO2 tracker” to her Instagram story that displayed the words: “Time to get our shit together.” Ironically, several months later, two of her sisters ended up being listed among the top 10 celebrities with the worst carbon dioxide emissions via their private jets.
Then, in April, Kourtney urged fans to “love” and “take care” of the planet every day, as she shared several picturesque photos of Hawaii on National Earth Day. Many users have recently taken to the comments to question whether or not she “really” loves the planet, given her excessive water usage during the drought.
And just last month, the Poosh founder told her followers to stop littering cigarette butts as she shared the harmful consequences it has on the environment. Once again, the post was met with a wave of criticism online as fans said they were “sick” of Kourtney “trying to lecture” them on the climate crisis.
“Says the water abusing sister of the jet fuel queen,” one person responded, while another labeled Kourt and her sisters the “biggest hypocrites” on the planet.
Now, just a few weeks later, Kourtney is facing backlash once more after announcing her new collaboration with fast-fashion retailer Boohoo.
Reposting a photo from fashion industry trade journal WWD to her Instagram story on Tuesday, Kourtney revealed that she’s taking up the role of “sustainability ambassador.”
“When Boohoo first approached me to collaborate on a line, I was concerned about the effects of the fast-fashion industry on our planet,” she said in a statement. “Boohoo responded with excitement and a desire to incorporate sustainable practices into our line.”
“It’s been an enlightening experience speaking directly with industry experts,” she continued. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to use my platform to drive conversations that lead to ongoing change and use my voice to share actionable tips with consumers on how we can play our own part.”
“There’s still lots of work to be done and improvements to be made, but I truly believe that any progress we can make when it comes to sustainability is a step in the right direction and will open up the conversation for future advancements,” she added.
WWD has reported that Kourtney’s collection will be available “exclusively” on Boohoo’s website, and will contain 41 styles — all made with recycled polyester and recycled cotton — priced between $6 and $100.
If you didn’t know, Boohoo — one of the world’s most popular fast-fashion retailers — has faced heaps of backlash in recent years, after news broke that the brand had violated factory workers’ rights and provided employees with poor working conditions. It was later revealed that several company directors had been aware of these issues before they came to light, yet failed to act upon them accordingly.
What’s more, the fast-fashion industry is problematic in itself given the hugely catastrophic impact it has on the environment. Centered around cheap prices, a high turnover, and growing consumer demand for whatever the latest trends are, fast-fashion businesses are said to operate “at the expense of people and planet.”
In light of all this, fans were outraged to learn that Kourtney had collaborated with Boohoo in a sustainability-focused role, and shared their thoughts on Twitter.
“A private-jetting Kardashian worth $65 million is now ‘sustainability ambassador’ for fossil fuel fashion brand boohoo, where she'll chat ‘with sustainability experts to better understand challenges and opportunities in the fashion industry.’ We absolutely KANNOT,” one person tweeted.
A private-jetting Kardashian worth $65 million is now "sustainability ambassador" for fossil fuel fashion brand boohoo, where she'll chat "with sustainability experts to better understand challenges and opportunities in the fashion industry." We absolutely KANNOT.
“Not Kourtney Kardashian releasing a ‘sustainable’ line with boohoo, girl you have money you can turn down an offer from them and work with a brand that genuinely promotes slow fashion,” another wrote.
Not Kourtney Kardashian releasing a “sustainable” line with boohoo, girl you have money you can turn down an offer from them and work with a brand that genuinely promotes slow fashion AND pays their garment workers ✌🏽✌🏽
“Sustainability ambassador at Boohoo is an oxymoron if I've ever seen one,” someone else said.
@venetialamanna @KarinIsSharing Sustainability ambassador at Boohoo is an oxymoron if I've ever seen one
Before long, several fans labeled the whole thing as an “obvious” example of “greenwashing,” which is when a company basically pretends to be environmentally conscious in order to make people believe that they’re doing their part to help protect the planet.
“This doesn't make any fucking sense. How can you be a ‘Sustainability Ambassador’ with a brand that exploits and mass produce 24/7? You don't need critical thinking for this obvious greenwashing. This is gross,” one person wrote.
This doesn't make any fucking sense. How can you be a "Sustainability Ambassador" with a brand that exploits and mass produce 24/7? You don't need critical thinking for this obvious greenwashing. This is gross. https://t.co/QQODEQBFp3
“Kourtney Kardashian being Boohoo’s Sustainability Ambassador for its limited venture of two collections while the brand adds over 100 new items to the site every day is #greenwashing at its finest,” another wrote.
Kourtney Kardashian being Boohoo’s Sustainability Ambassador for its limited venture of two collections while the brand adds over 100 new items to the site every day is #greenwashing at its finest source: https://t.co/Nm1r6DO5zt
Over on Instagram, fans echoed the same sentiment. “GREEN WASHING!!! Boo Hoo is fast fashion,” one person commented under WWD’s announcement post. “The biggest bs greenwashing I’ve ever heard,” another user echoed.
Meanwhile, vintage retailer Shrimpton Couture — an online source for curated vintage items — also labeled the entire collaboration a blatant example of “greenwashing” and “hypocrisy.”
“Fast fashion is not going fucking green,” it wrote on Instagram. “It’s the most hypocritical of hypocrisy it could be. Get over yourself and your lies. Such greenwashing.”
