Report

The issue of sustainability in the fast

fashion industry: a study of H&M

Written by Judith Balme March 2021

Table of contents
Executive Summary....................................................................................................................................... 2

Introduction.................................................................................................................................................. 3

Findings and discussion................................................................................................................................. 4

Recommendations......................................................................................................................................... 6

References.................................................................................................................................................... 7

Appendix A: H&M Sustainable Strategy (H&M Group)....................................................................................8

Appendix B : H&M transparency on the composition and provenance of their products (H&M Website)........9

Executive Summary

The fast fashion brand H&M is communicating since a few years on its ecofriendly values. However,

as the production process of the firm stays very polluting, H&M positioning is widely criticized.

Although H&M made great improvements on the transparency towards the customer, the firm still

needs to work on the composition and the provenance of its products, as well as on the accuracy of

its communication.
Introduction

The fast fashion brand H&M started a few years ago to communicate on its will to take

sustainability into account. That will was conveyed by the launch of the “Conscious” Clothing Line in

2011, and also by the publication of a Performance Sustainability Report of the firm in 2019. H&M’s

ambition is to be a pioneer, the leader of the change in the fashion industry, which is known for

being very polluting.

This report will try to answer the following questions: Why is it so important to transform the textile

industry? How can the sustainable label influence the consumer in his choices? In the case of H&M,

can one talk of greenwashing?

The report refers to H&M activity the last ten years and intend to analyze the firm relationship to

sustainability from the production to the sale. The first part of the development exposes the findings

and discuss them. The second one provides recommendations arising from the previous part. This

report does not aim to validate or sentence H&M but to understand the complexity of a fast-fashion

brand path towards sustainability and to do some recommendations that could cause an

improvement.
Findings and discussion

1) Despite its will to be more sustainable, H&M stays a massively polluting firm.

Since a few years, H&M communicates on its eco-friendly values and on its initiatives to reduce its

environmental impact. Nevertheless, the concept of fast fashion is to offer cheap products and to

encourage to consume a lot. Such a pattern cannot be without consequences both on the

environment and on the workers. Numerous practices of the brand belie the image H&M is trying to

build. As a matter of fast, the production places stay for the majority in East Asia, which is an issue as

the transport to the sale place pollutes a lot. Moreover, the collaboration with east Asian

subcontractors often obstructs information on the work conditions. H&M also still uses non

sustainable material in its production. The brand is however transparent on these practices and does

not try to disguise them.

2) Sustainability is an increasingly significant criteria in the purchase process

According to the European Parliament, the fashion industry is the fourth most polluting

industry. Consumers become increasingly conscious of the environmental issue and some of them

choose to turn towards more sustainable options such as secondhand clothing. Thus, sustainability is

becoming for more and more consumers an important criterion, that fashion brands can no longer

ignore. For H&M, highlighting its environmental values is a benefit. It reassures the customer as it

assures him that its purchase is doubtless ethical. Claiming to be eco-friendly is not simply an activist

act, it is above all a marketing strategy. Considering that aspect, one can better understand why

H&M practices differ from its communication on the importance of being ecological. One can speak

of green washing.

3) On the road towards improvement?

However, should H&M be fully blamed for its eco-friendly campaigns? Wouldn’t it be even more

chocking if H&M was ignoring the actual environmental issues and not communicating on them? A

lot of progress certainly still need to be done, but some improvements were already made. The

complete transparency of H&M on the composition and the provenance of each product is already a

big step. The website even provides a description of each material and of its environmental impact,

and gives the name of the supplier associated to the production of each product, its address and its

number of employees.
Recommendations

 Focusing on the composition and the provenance of the product. The main challenges for

H&M in its path toward sustainability are the provenance of the products and the materials

used. To be coherent with the eco-friendly values that are claimed by the brand, occidental

places of production and sustainable materials must be prioritized. Such a change would

automatically cause an increase of the prices. H&M must then give up the fast fashion logic

that promote cheap and frequent consumption.

 Merging with sustainable brands. To speed the change in this direction up, H&M should bet

on merging with little sustainable brands. Those brands being already established, H&M will

be able to use their production process.

 Finding a balance in the communication to avoid being blame for greenwashing. No one is

blind: H&M is not a sustainable brand for the moment. In its communication, it must not

introduce itself as one, or the firm risks to discredit its efforts. However, H&M should humbly

communicate on the improvements that were made, proving that way its good will to

progress.
References
Ehrsam, M. (2016). Is Green the New Black? The Impact of Sustainability on Brand Attitude:
Conscious Fashion, a Case Study on H&M. Lisbon: Católica-Lisbon School of Business
& Economics.
H&M Group. (s.d.). Sustainability Performance Report 2019. Stockholm.
Lilian Dach, K. A. (2014). Sustainability in Corporate Communications and its Influence on
Consumer Awareness and Perceptions: A study of H&M and Primark. Stuttgart:
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Appendix A: H&M Sustainable Strategy (H&M Group)
Appendix B : H&M transparency on the composition and provenance of
their products (H&M Website)