As the previous post has clearly introduced H&M’s initiatives and plans, this entry will serve to show the other side of the story — one that is totally different as envisioned. H&M’s marketing has made the company appear to be more environmentally friendly than it actually is.

Head down to your local or nearby H&M and I am sure you are certain to spot these ‘Let’s Close the Loop’ clothing recycling bins. While yes such an initiative is commendable, it is allegedy that only less than 1% of the clothes collected will be recycled.  One of H&M’s sorter of choice, I:Collect, claims that only 35% of what is collected is recycled (Ramaniah, 2019).

Conscious of its synthetics?

Ironically H&M conscious collection, a line that is supposed to use SOLELY sustainable materials have been found to use more synthetics than in its main collection. In an investigation, it was revealed that one in five items analysed used fossil fuel-derived synthetic materials (Butler, 2022).

The issue with Synthetic Fibres

Oil and the fast fashion industry are deeply intertwined via synthetic fibres. Polyester or also known as PET is the raw material used to produce synthetic fibres and is a product of the petrochemical industry. Hence, the fashion industry is an important or even an indirect key player in fossil fuel as these fibres are derived from crude oil. These polymers are processed into long chains which are then melted and extruded through a fine nozzle to form threads. The threads are further dried and woven into fabrics to be used (Common Objective, n.d.).

The reason why H&M’s Conscious Collection has a higher percentage of synthetics than its main collection is due to the use of recycled polyester. These recycled polyesters were heading to the landfills and thus when are being produced again, it merely prolongs the problem at hand. Furthermore, there is a lack of transparency on recycled feedstock. No public third-party certifications are made available for consumers to view or verify (Synthetic Anonymous, 2021).

Greenwashing or Greenblushing

Ultimately, the 2020 launch of Conscious was a major game-changer for H&M to promote environmentalism. But, it was quickly found out that most of it was merely a marketing scheme to (sadly) appear eco-friendly via the use of deceiving product descriptions and vague languages. H&M tricked consumers into thinking that they were supporting sustainable initiatives when they purchase from the conscious collection but people were just blindly supporting a headless cause.

I too as a consumer have been blinded by this marketing scheme and have consoled myself multiple times that oh, I am buying good when I buy from conscious instead. But, in reality maybe we should all fix the root problem and that would be the unsustainable practice of consummerism.

 

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