Recently, H&M, along with other brands such as Gucci, has tapped into the metaverse by collaborating with Roblox and launching its H&M Loooptopia Experience. The game allows people to create their avatars and learn about “recycling materials and garments for a circular fashion future” through different elements provided, such as mini-games. The users can gather fashion ingredients, make them into wearable in-game clothes, recycle old clothes to get rare elements to make other clothes, and trade clothes with their friends.
With the rise in the gaming community and younger people becoming more tech-savvy than ever, Loooptopia focuses on targeting the younger generations and gamers, our future leaders, to educate them about sustainability in a fun and accessible way. Besides focusing on the environmental side of sustainability, Loooptopia also emphasizes inclusivity since the games allow users to express their unique selves and identity by creating avatars and the clothes they make in-game. All of these align with H&M’s value of “style, creativity, and culture.”
While Loooptopia is a great start to teaching people about what circular fashion is, it raises a question of how effective it is to help create an actual impact on the world. We cannot guarantee that people will actively participate in certain sustainable activities after playing the game. What is the indication of the campaign’s success and how to measure it is the question H&M needs to consider. If the measure of success only depends on the game’s active users but not the actual environmental impact, such as the number of recycled and repurposed clothes. In that case, the game can be just a mere promotional strategy for H&M and a show of proof that they are “caring for the environment” and to cover up the recent “greenwashing” accusation.
H&M declare they are putting effort into being a more sustainable company by innovating around its use of materials and the process of producing clothing. For instance, they are trying to design clothes that can get recycled and repurposed, and they have come out with a collection from “recycled metals and circular, bio-based fabrics and food waste.” Whether it is making a positive impact or just “greenwashing,” it is nice to know that huge brands have taken the role of educators to teach the future generation about sustainability.
References:
- https://sustainablebrands.com/read/marketing-and-comms/h-m-s-loooptopia-metaverse-experience-rewards-players-for-creating-circular-fashion
- https://www.thecut.com/2022/08/h-and-m-greenwashing-fashion.html
- https://hmgroup.com/sustainability/circularity-and-climate/circularity/
- https://hmgroup.com/sustainability/circularity-and-climate/circularity/designing-for-circularity/
- https://sustainablebrands.com/read/waste-not/trending-h-m-houdini-eliminating-more-waste-from-fashion
- https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/hms-roblox-experience-is-an-experiment-in-virtual-fashion/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmVDJA4rvfc