At first glance, H&M's 'Conscious Exclusive'
2017 Collection seems to champion
"Green is the New Black", with the aim
for 100% of its cotton to be sustainably
sourced by 2020. Every piece is made
from sustainable materials. Including
BIONIC® - a polyester of plastics recycled
from shoreline waste, thus showcasing the
beauty of sustainability.
However, does H&M's said commitment
towards 'green' fashion go beyond just
using organic cotton?
As we know, H&M has a massive global
presence, it has about 260 stores in UK
and Ireland alone. This raises questions of
their real intentions - are they truly behind
sustainable fashion? Or are they using
sustainability as good PR? Particularly
since there have been a number of official
reports in 2016 of how unethical their
fashion is, as well as the impression of
overcompensation, seen by their constant
defense of their ethics in their YouTube
videos.
For example, after a factory inspection
in May 2014 at one of their Bangladesh
factories, it was found to be lacking
adequate fire doors, sprinklers, fire alarms,
and fire hoses, among other deficiencies.
Nothing was done to change this because
in February 2016, Quartz reported that a
fire had occurred at the factory and left
four injured. If the fire had happened 60
minutes later, 6,000 workers would have
been inside.
So can H&M set a new standard for
sustainability if their business model is
unsustainable?
GUESTLIST
2018 / ISSUE 106
15
FASHION
HOW SUSTAINABLE IS
'SUSTAINABLE FASHION'?
There is no doubt that the fashion industry is evolving,
yet for some of us, it may not be changing quickly
enough. So much more needs to be done, as can be seen
by H&M's recent ethical line.
