BRAND POSITION: Currently, H&M’s mission, vision, and values of sustainability are questioned. This is due to H&M being one of the largest fashion retailers who have succeeded with a low cost business model; which consequently has exploited workers in developing countries, has used low-cost materials, and encourages mass-consumption. It is also believed that their “Conscious” collecton and ‘close the loop’ recycling clothing bins are solely a strategy to distract customers from the problems of its fast production system, in a time of sustainable awareness. In addition, as “H&M offers discount vouchers to incentivise customers to donate clothing”, it “only fuels more clothing consumption (as the vouchers are only valid in H&M) and exacerbates the problems of our throwaway society” (Nini, 2018). The brand is either believed to be greenwashing, is actually trying to be sustainable, or is trying to be sustainable, however will not be able to with their current model.
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