H&M’s Sustainability Claims: A Critical Evaluation
As I embarked on a journey towards more sustainable living, I made a conscious decision to shift away from fast fashion. However, assessing the true sustainability proved daunting. My findings were disheartening: many brands, including those I explored, often employ vague, non-specific communication that hinders comprehensive understanding of their sustainability efforts.
I concluded that the most reliable way to pursue sustainability was to continue reducing my overall consumption. This realization came after noticing that most brands I researched:
Employ vague communication, rendering their sustainability claims incomplete.
Lack numerical, factual details that would make their progress measurable.
Omit links to detailed information when making ambiguous sustainability claims.
Segregate their sustainability communication to separate sections on their websites, limiting its exposure to only those consumers actively seeking it.
Present complex information on sustainability, creating a barrier for consumers who are either new to the concept or have limited attention spans.
Mislead in their communication, giving the false impression that their products are more sustainable than they are.
Case Study H&M:
Analysis of H&M’s Sustainability Communication
A recent example is H&M’s campaign “Let’s have a more sustainable summer”. The phrase insinuates pre-existing sustainability, a claim that is questionable given H&M's fast fashion model. This sort of messaging, lacking in substance, potentially misleads consumers into justifying excessive shopping under the pretense of sustainability.
Do not substantiate their sustainability claims with facts
Clicking on H&M’s banner leads to a description that merges sustainability with fashion appeal, yet crucial details like the exact proportion of sustainable materials used are conspicuously absent. It reads, “And this collection is all-around good: the garments are beautifully designed, comfortable and made using more sustainable materials like organic cotton and linen, recycled polyester and nylon, Tencel™ lyocell and our new favourite Circulose® viscose. So you'll look good and feel good all summer long.” However, how much more sustainable materials are we talking about? Here, H&M has decided to leave out essential information. This lack of specificity can influence consumers’ perceptions, mistakenly leading them to believe the products are predominantly organic or sustainably made. We can’t expect from consumers to know that “using more sustainable materials like organic cotton” is not equal to “organic” since the product would need to consist of 95% organic cotton to be considered as such.
Contrary to my initial expectations of genuine sustainability efforts in fashion marketing, it appears the industry often resorts to misleading consumers to encourage guilt-free consumption. True progress demands transparency over perfection, yet this principle is frequently overlooked in favor of deceptive marketing tactics.
Do not provide consumers links to essential information
Not only does H&M leave out essential specific information about sustainability, there is no link provided so consumers can at least get these specific information with a single click if they wanted. Therefore, H&M did not consider or decided against enabling consumers to educate themselves and make informed decisions.
Convey a sense of making a great sustainable choice
Rather than helping consumers to make an informed decision, the sustainability communication aims to convey a sense of lightheartedness. It makes consumers not deal with sustainability, rather than rely on the brand. It makes consumers not change their consumption habits, rather receiving confirmation to continue over-consuming guilt-free.
The Need for Regulatory Oversight and
recommendations for marketers.
The discussion of regulations and policy proposals in Europe and the US regarding sustainability is a welcome development. Bodies like the ACM are setting a precedent by scrutinizing and penalizing false sustainability claims. Their guidelines stress the importance of clear, factual, and fair sustainability communication.
Marketers must rethink their approach to sustainability. They should focus on the digital journey of customers who prioritize sustainability, ensuring that essential information is both accessible and clear. Additionally, they should strategize on introducing the concept of sustainability to a broader audience, emphasizing education and awareness.
To effect real change, both in consumer behavior and corporate practices, a radical transformation is necessary. This transformation requires commitment, accountability, and courage. It's time for brands to move beyond mere appearances of sustainability and embrace genuine, impactful practices.
Courage to ask ourselves crucial questions such as
If we truly want to make progress towards sustainability what would have the highest leverage?
How can we expect both ever-expanding growth and significant progress towards sustainability?
How can we expect a profound change when we want the way we do business remain the same? What are we afraid of?
What if consumers did cut their purchase volume? How would we reinvent ourselves?
What cultural transformation is actually necessary to tackle sustainability? Do we avoid asking ourselves these questions because it would be bad for our business?
Which impact does overconsumption have on consumer’s well-being?
Guidelines for brands and marketers
ACM, Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets, nvestigates wrong and misleading sustainability claims including imposing fines up to EUR 900,000 per fine, and have drawn up a guideline for sustainability claims brands should take into consideration Summed up:
Make clear what sustainability benefit the product offers
Substantiate your sustainability claims with facts, and keep them up-to-date
Comparisons with other products, services, or companies must be fair
Be honest and specific about your company’s efforts with regard to sustainability
Make sure that visual claims and labels are useful to consumers, not confusing
During my research, it became clear that many brands do not take the user journey into account when communicating sustainability on their websites. In the following are some questions we can ask ourselves in order to improve the users journey towards consumers better understanding sustainability.
What are potential customers who have Sustainability in their consideration set looking for when browsing a brand’s website?
What would they want to find out about the products? Which information is therefore essential?
How should the information be provided so it is easy to understand and unambiguous?
Where should the infos be ideally placed to ensure the user journey is smooth and without interruptions?
In contrast, how about the digital journey of customers who don’t have Sustainability in their consideration set and what kind of measures would it require to introduce these customers to Sustainability and educate them?