The Politics of Advertising: H&M Conscious

For the second installment of this series, The Politics of Advertising, I have decided to tackle what I hope is a trend that’s here to stay: sustainability in fashion. More than ever, the looming threat of climate change is on most of our minds, and it can leave us feeling overwhelmed and powerless. It seems as if though every little decision we make can affect the environment in a negative way, clothing included. 

But when confronted with all of the decisions that we can make to reduce our carbon footprint like flying less, eating less meat, and refusing plastic, does a new shirt really feel like the worst thing in the world? Taking stances like these may seem disheartening when it feels like a small defeat to see someone else carry a plastic bag. It begs the question: Can a single individual really make a difference?

Perhaps not as big a difference as the world’s largest polluter: the oil industry. Fashion comes in second, which is why some consumers have taken it upon themselves to become more conscious in their choices—to make sure that the companies they’re giving their money to have a positive impact on the world, especially the environment. 

The main problem with that is that truly sustainable and ethically made clothing is, well,  expensive. Most of us don’t have 50+ dollars to drop on a 100% cotton, sustainable, biodegradable, ethical, magical tee. That’s the allure of fast fashion companies. But much like us, they feel the tension and reluctance that comes when the promise of a transaction is at stake. For this very reason, most fast fashion companies like Zara and H&M have started putting out statements on how they’re committing to sustainability. 

This time, we will be analysing the following ad that H&M put out in September called the H&M Conscious Collection. The message being conveyed throughout the entirety of this 32 second ad is the introduction of their newest collection, which features fashion made from recycled PET bottles. They advertise that each item contains at least 50% recycled polyester in an effort to use less virgin plastic in their clothing. 

We begin with some intense music with a heavy beat, reminiscent of the beginning of a revolutionary moment in film or television. The scenery is initially a tree-filled park; images of green and the outdoors inundate the screen. Everything is crisp and clean—we are taken to a utopia where people happily twirl their blazers in the air, a true sign of being in touch with the Earth. We then transition to an urban space to show that sustainability does have a place in fast paced cities. The visuals truly aim to marry urban spaces with the traditional narrative of eco-friendliness: green, green, and more green. Notice too, that all of the clothing that they feature in their collection is earth toned—creams, beiges, and browns are the colours of choice. Anything too bright or neon is not compatible with timelessness which is why they have made a substantial effort to make sure that their pieces are considered neutral and a far cry from a trend. 

More importantly, however, the most powerful aspect of this advertisement seems to be the voiceover. They have cleverly chosen a futuristic and authoritative sounding British voice to narrate the video. The narrator keeps their sentences simple with phrases like, ‘crave it’ and ‘have it.’ Not only is the simplicity of their sentences easy enough to understand, but it’s also coming in the form of a command. Through this voiceover, the creators of this advertisement are trying to reconcile the motivations behind fast fashion consumerism and environmentalism. The narration ends with “resurrect it, care for it, wear it, and wear it again.” While this is in reference to their clothing collection made out of recycled materials, it is entirely contradictory to the first two commands that were given: “crave it” and “have it.” 

This is where the problems begin to emerge in the form of a concept known as greenwashing—which essentially consists of misleading claims about how environmentally friendly a company/product is. “Crave it” and “have it” are what pushes the potential buyer to shop. With a company like H&M that constantly comes out with brand new collections, does it truly matter if they’re made out of 50% recycled water bottles? This issue is not so much about the consumer, because like the ad said, they are being urged to “wear it and wear it again.” Unless they only manufacture clothing to fit a demand, H&M’s culture of coming out with different conscious collections for every season of every year may not be so conscious after all. 

As conscious consumers, it’s important to be aware of these facts. If we’re more critical of greenwashing, then we’ll be less susceptible to its flawed logic. Although efforts to increase transparency in manufacturing have become more mainstream, we need to remember that unless a company is verified by a third party ensuring sustainability and ethics, then what we know is only what they say. Intention is key and most fast fashion houses have the sole intention of making money. To be truly sustainable, one must be wary of the ways in which advertising is meant to sway us. It’s definitely not an easy task, as most clothing promises change and its purchase provides instant gratification. This isn’t a ban on fashion, but rather a challenge to buy wisely, buy second hand, or buy nothing at all.