This Major Fashion Retailer Proves Sustainability And Product Transparency Come Together

Sustainability in fashion is not a trend; rather it is a must. Knowing how the product was created is not a want; rather it is a need.

Years have gone by, and up until now, we are still arguing if fashion is really one of the world’s top pollutants. So many articles have been released and symposiums that initiated discourses on sustainable fashion, yet here we are, still slowly enduring Mother Nature’s wrath. That’s why, honestly speaking, it’s high time we end the talking and start making it happen. The industry should seriously start prioritizing sustainability and product transparency, so we can all become more conscious of how we can help nature heal its wounds.

Since sustainability is a word we often hear nowadays (which is a good thing), there is already an upward trend of fashion companies who now tout their use of organic, recycled, and regenerated materials. Although this may, there’s still an underlying question of how it was produced—from the process of harvesting the raw material to the working environment of laborers in the sweatshops.

We’ve already settled that having a circular business model is one of the best—if not the best—solution to having a sustainable fashion future. And that can be solved by closing the loop. However, that’s more feasible for fashion companies per se, which leaves us, consumers, looking for another way to find a more accessible means of helping. And this will be much more within our reach if the fashion label values product transparency.

A concrete example of this will be one of the world’s largest fashion retailers, H&M. The Swedish retail giant finally launched a transparency layer for all their garments on hm.com and in their physical stores last April 23, 2019. By doing this, consumers are now given the power to have a more informed decision on how the product they are about to purchase was made.

For each of their garments, H&M shares details such as production country, supplier names, factory names, and addresses as well as the number of workers in the factories. In addition, customers can find out more about the materials used to make a specific garment.

“By being open and transparent about where [the] products are made, [H&M] hope to set the bar for our industry and encourage customers to make more sustainable choices. With transparency comes responsibility, making transparency such an important factor to help create a more sustainable fashion industry,” H&M’s Head of Sustainability Isak Roth explained.

So in the long run, if we simply just do our part in making a conscious choice, we are already contributing to mitigate the environmental impact of mass production utilizing harmful chemicals that have a high carbon footprint. And in case you think that a simple choice only contributes a small portion to a sustainable fashion future, always remember that even the tiniest of things can make a huge difference.

H&M’s Conscious Exclusive Collection is now available in all stores worldwide and on its online store.