Nowadays, the fast-fashion brands want to keep up with the fashion trends and many of them claim to be sustainable brands. However, the reality may be different. My first blog aims to uncover the truth behind these claims by examining the environmental and ethical practices of fast-fashion companies and will focus specifically on Swedish fast-fashion giant, H&M.
Recently, H&M has come under fire for its marketing claims about sustainability, with a lawsuit being filed in the United States, alleging that the company made false and misleading claims about the sustainability of its products. According to the complaint, the company advertised that its clothing was made from “sustainable materials,” such as organic cotton and recycled polyester, but these claims were not supported by evidence.
The complaint also states that H&M’s advertising misled consumers into believing that the company was taking steps to reduce its environmental impact, while in reality, the company’s practices have a significant impact on the environment. The fast-fashion industry is known for its high levels of waste and pollution,and H&M has been criticized for its reliance on cheap, disposable clothing.
H&M has responded to the lawsuit by stating that it is committed to sustainability and that it has taken steps to reduce its environmental impact. However, the company has not provided any concrete evidence to support its claims. Some experts believe that H&M’s sustainable marketing claims are an attempt to distract from the company’s negative impact on the environment.
Additionally, regarding the fair wages, H&M has failed to pay living wages, despite promising to do so for nearly one million workers by 2018. The company has also been vague about their “improved wage management system” and avoided the subject of paying a living wage. This is particularly concerning when compared to the high salaries of H&M’s top officials and CEO, who earned over $809 million in 2018 alone.
To sum up, it is clear that H&M’s marketing claims about sustainability are misleading and are not supported by evidence. I believe that there should be strict regulation for labelling companies’ products “sustainable”, as currently, the term is used more for marketing purposes, rather than for describing the company’s strategy.
Resources:
https://www.eco-stylist.com/how-sustainable-is-hm/
https://balkangreenenergynews.com/fast-fashion-giant-hm-accused-of-greenwashing-in-us-lawsuit/
https://www.just-style.com/news/hm-under-fire-in-us-over-sustainable-material-claims/
Pictures:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/what-hm-doesnt-want-you-to-be-conscious-about_b_581252a3e4b09b190529c1fe
https://scandasia.com/hm-opens-new-store-in-vietnam/
Zachary Ng
January 29, 2023 — 8:57 pm
It feels as if every time H&M attempts to make a sustainable initiative, it comes under public scrutiny. Given the company is in the fast-fashion industry, I believe it is very hard to carry out practices that are sustainable while keeping costs low enough to appeal to consumers who demand fast fashion. At this point, I do not even blame H&M for its unsustainable practices, but rather wonder if it is even possible for a fast fashion company to be sustainable, and that consumers could be blamed for demanding such seems-to-be impossible products (sustainable fast fashion) as well.
AoiHattori
January 30, 2023 — 6:10 pm
This article was very insightful since I’m also interested in the relationship between fast fashion brands and sustainability!
As stated in the article, I strongly agree that misleading and exaggerating advertisement is problematic and the restriction over labeling products “sustainable” is needed. From a different perspective, the fact that customers are calling out “greenwashing” companies and their preference has been shifting to sustainable products may indicate that we are on the right track. I believe these lawsuits and consumer shifts can be a great wake-up call for companies and governments which will lead to a bigger impact. I am now curious to know how H&M has changed since the lawsuit.
MuhammadKonain
February 3, 2023 — 11:08 pm
Very well put blog. I do agree that fast fashion firms like H&M and Zara are going towards greenwashing instead of actually caring about the environment.
Miranda Yang
February 7, 2023 — 5:34 pm
Really interesting post!
Another misleading practice of H&M’s is their clothing recycling program where customers can bring back used H&M clothing so the material can be recycled into new clothing. A lot of the material can’t actually be broken down and used as they are mixed fabrics, so it may not be as circular as H&M claims.
I often hear that H&M is doing better in sustainability than many of its fast fashion competitors, however hearing your points makes me question how impactful the company’s sustainability efforts actually are.
MasaUENO
February 13, 2023 — 7:14 pm
I never knew that H&M’ s sustainable marketing strategy was sued due to their inadequate evidence. I personally believed the H&M for its recycling and reusing campaign, so it was shocking news.
Moreover, the scandal of H&M reminded me of “Shine,” a new clothing company founded in China.
This company is becoming popular, pushing its low-cost clothes. The company claims they can afford such low-cost clothing because they only make 50 to 100 pieces of the new product.
Considering the failure of H&M on sustainability, I feel that Shine is also greenwashing.
To address this issue, adding to your opinion about sustainability on strategy, I feel companies should have more transparency on data that shows the external cost of the product.
As the video said, each consumer has the power to make changes; therefore, I feel putting pressure from inside and outside the company would work more efficiently.
EmilyNold
February 21, 2023 — 4:03 pm
Hi Filip – do you think companies like H&M can ever exist sustainability?
KabirBareja
April 17, 2023 — 4:07 pm
Hi Filip!
After reading this article, I have questioned if brands such as ASOS, H&M, AND ZARA are leaning more toward greenwashing by excessively advertising “sustainable practices.” Although I understand the current climate that we are all in and how prevalent the concept of sustainability is, I believe it is ethically and morally wrong to mislead customers; instead, they shouldn’t advertise at all. Firms need to think past their potential revenue and actually think about the planet for one. GREENWASHING IS A HOAX.