Reviewing H&M Conscious: Don’t Buy Into The Hype

Last Updated on September 30, 2024 by Shavy Jain

H&M Conscious is an evergreen clothes section launched by the brand past year. However, is the brand really delivering on its “conscious” promise in 2024? H&M, a fast fashion company, is notorious for its exploitative practices and is featured in almost every list of brands most harmful to the environment. But are they really that bad?

Sometimes, fast fashion brands also try to adopt sustainable practices and trends via their lineup. With their new H&M conscious line, they are focusing on being eco-friendly and ethical, right? Well, spoiler alert. They really aren’t. In fact, they are comfortably practicing the age-old tactic of hoodwinking customers through greenwashing.

So now the question arises. Is H&M conscious sustainable? What exactly is this lineup about? Is it as conscious as it claims to be? Let’s delve into the many secrets and trickeries of big corporates like H&M and their H&M Conscious collection.

What is H&M Conscious Collection?

While I was scrolling through H&M’s website, I came across something very intriguing. The H&M conscious collection. I was pleasantly surprised. Is H&M finally giving eco-friendly consumers like me a sustainable alternative? Can I finally wear the latest fast fashion trends while also not harming the environment?

According to H&M’s website, products in their conscious line contain at least 50% of sustainable materials such as recycled polyester or organic cotton. By buying these products, you the consumer, earn conscious points. By the way, you can use these points to earn discounts on other products.

H&M also launches a Conscious Exclusive collection twice a year in which they incorporate new eco-friendly materials and technologies which are then used in their main collection. They introduced three new fabrics in 2020: Hemp Biofibre, made from oilseed hemp crop waste, Naia Renew, a cellulosic fibre and Vegea, vegan leather made from grapes.

Well, that sounds pretty good. Big corporations are finally realizing the errors of their ways and laying down the building blocks towards a more sustainable future. But trust me guys, behind the curtains, the situation is entirely different.

How Sustainable is H&M Conscious?

I am not blindly being a skeptic. It is unfortunately a fact that big corporates like H&M are purely driven by profits and do little to nothing to save the environment. Because exploitative and unethical means of production are way more profitable than sustainable ones.

According to a report in June 2021 titled “Synthetic Anonymous“, H&M’s conscious line has allegedly been found to contain a higher percentage of damaging synthetic materials compared to its main line. Moreover, the report identified H&M as the worst offender when it comes to false green claims with 96% false claims.

H&M’s recycling program is also not without its flaws. While they confidently state in a myriad of their ads that they will use fabrics donated to them to create new clothes, the reality is that only 35% of donated garments are actually utilized.

Most of their clothes consist of blended materials that don’t break down easily, like a studded sweater containing 52% polyester, 41% acrylic, 4% wool, 3% elastane. We’re not sure how H&M Conscious would be any different. Donated clothes are more often than not resold in markets in countries like Kenya or dumped in landfills. In fact, only 0.7% of the clothes manufactured by H&M were recycled material according to their own report in 2018, essentially proving that even their recycling program is not really sustainable.

While H&M Conscious confidently states in its ad campaigns that it aims to reduce waste and that we, the consumers can help them do so by shopping from their conscious line, the reality is that shopping from H&M Conscious doesn’t reduce waste but adds to it. Most of the products in the Conscious line are made of blended materials such as polyester, acrylic, wool etc. which do not break down easily. These products will not be recycled but end up in a landfill (as plastic recycled for clothes cannot be recycled again) and so your noble quest to shop more sustainably goes quite literally to waste.

If brands were truly sustainable, they would discourage consumerism and overconsumption. However, H&M does not want that. They want to earn as much profit as they can. In fact, their entire existence relies on customers buying more than they need which is why their conscious line is marketed in such a way as to tempt you into consuming more.

According to research by the Stern Center for Sustainable Business, products marketed as being sustainable sell much faster than products that are not.

Through tactics like conscious points and vouchers, H&M Conscious is leading you to consume more and more. They use conscious points to lure customers into purchasing not only garments from their supposedly sustainable line but also their low-quality fast fashion clothing designed not to last.

The H&M conscious collection has been criticized by Norway’s consumer watchdog in 2019 for their misleading marketing tactics and for providing insufficient information on the sustainability of its collection. H&M has also repeatedly been accused of greenwashing.

Is HM conscious Greenwashing?

Greenwashing in simpler terms is when a company advertises its products and policies as being eco-friendly while continuing its exploitative practices behind the curtains. It is a form of manipulation and trickery taking advantage of consumer’s shifting preference towards environmentally conscious brands.

Motivated by the incentive to make profits, boost sales, and preserve brand relevance in a changing world, companies blow their budget on amazing marketing instead of actually doing anything to build a sustainable business model. What’s worse is that most of these companies abuse the rise of eco-consciousness to conceal the more harmful aspects of production that go on behind the scenes such as poor labor conditions, animal abuse, and environmental degradation.

Of course, the more they do this the better they get at deceiving you.

H&M is a pro at manipulating customers into believing they are ethical and eco-friendly. They conveniently shroud their exploitative practices in the guise of being sustainable and conscious. They are misdirecting your attention by giving you something to look at. Behind the curtains, they continue to be unethical.

They distract consumers by making them applaud H&M Conscious for doing the bare minimum and honestly, this bare minimum is ending up being more detrimental to the environment (much like Mr. Burns in The Simpsons).

There is something morally wrong in tapping into the guilt of consumers and using the principles of psychology and marketing to manufacture their consent and make them make economic decisions they otherwise would not. You know the consumer wants to save the planet.

You know they want to create a change so instead of doing it yourselves, you make the consumer a scapegoat, put the onus on them to be sustainable, give them false hope, and make them believe they are being eco-friendly when in reality you are just manipulating them into buying your products to gain profit.

What’s even worse is that they exploit bright young climate change activists in their ad campaigns in a way that mocks the very real issues these children stand for. The ugly truth is that climate change unevenly affects different strata of society. It is the poor, marginalized, and tribal people who feel its immediate effects and not the top 1% of society who actually own these big corporations.

They have absolutely no incentive to be sustainable even though it is they who have the power to create a significant change. They do not feel morally obligated to save the planet as it comes at the cost of reduced profits. So, the only reason H&M Conscious is even being launched is because of the rise in environmental awareness amongst its consumer base. It definitely does not come from an intrinsic belief in sustainability but it’s only here to preserve its brand relevance.

It is important for us, the consumers to recognize it and make actual sustainable choices. If questions like Is H&M ethical surround you, start making small changes at home. Practice thrifting, re-wear your clothes as many times as possible, dont give in to transient trends, try not to dispose off any garments and donate them to the right places (like orphanages), and buy from ethical brands (check out our site to shop more ethically) and make an active effort to recognize when companies are greenwashing.

Eco-Conscious Alternatives: Top 10 Sustainable Fashion Brands

Understanding that H&M Conscious is one big gimmick is sobering for sure. But it’s not the end of the world. We have made a list of leading brands that offer affordable and styling clothes for casual and fancy wear. Here are some brands that walk the talk to simplify your eco-conscious shopping journey. Here’s a list of 10 go-to fashion brands that you can buy from instead of H&M Conscious:

Your Go-To Alternative!

Conclusion

While H&M has undoubtedly made strides in its journey toward sustainability, a holistic assessment reveals areas that need attention. It’s commendable that the brand has initiated eco-friendly practices and launched sustainable collections. However, true sustainability goes beyond isolated efforts and requires consistent transparency and honesty about the entire supply chain and production processes. For a brand of H&M’s magnitude, it’s crucial to strike a balance between celebrating achievements and acknowledging areas of improvement. By doing so, they can set a precedent for genuine commitment to sustainability in the fashion industry.

Curious about the sustainability practices of other brands? Dive into our curated fashion blogs for detailed reviews, insights, and the latest in ethical fashion trends. Equip yourself with knowledge and make informed choices.