H&M has been criticised over its plans to start making clothes from Circulose, a sustainable fabric made from up-cycled clothing and fashion waste.
The Scandinavian fashion giants will be the first retailer to sell garments made from the material, which is produced by Swedish company Re:newcell.

The clothes sold by H&M will comprise a Circulose/Viscose blend that uses 50 per cent Circulose sourced from upcycled cotton jeans fabric and 50 per cent viscose sourced from FSC-certified wood.

The retailer told WWD that its Circulose clothes will be in stores from spring and that it plans to use only recycled or sustainably sourced materials by 2030.

However, the move has been criticised by anti-fast fashion campaigner, Venetia La Manna, who tells The Independent that it is another example of H&M “greenwashing” its consumers.

“Circulose is an absolute box-ticker,” La Manna says. “Not only is it creating something from waste, it’s also vegan-friendly, non-toxic, durable and biodegradable. As a ‘new’ material, it’s much more planet friendly than a lot of the sustainable yarns that are already on the market.

“With this in mind, it’s a real shame to hear that Circulose chose to partner with H&M on such an exciting, circular and innovative yarn. Sustainable fashion absolutely needs to be as accessible for as many people as possible, but the fast fashion model will never reach that all important net zero target that we need to be aiming for.”

La Manna explained that textile waste has increased drastically in recent years and the focus should be on reducing how much we buy and slowing production rates rather than introducing new materials to consume.

“H&M will do whatever they can to continuously greenwash consumers,” La Manna added, citing the retailer’s Conscious Collections, which are made from environmentally friendly materials.


“Ultimately, the sheer amount of product H&M produces is causing irreversible harm to both planet and people, and completely outweighs their sustainability efforts,” she explained. “Fashion this fast can never and will never be sustainable.”

As for how best to be an eco-conscious shopper, La Manna advises enjoying the clothes you already own by finding different ways to style them rather than constantly looking to revamp your wardrobe with new purchases.

“I’d suggest organising a Swap Shop with friends or co-workers to get the dopamine hit of something new, without actually making a purchase,” she adds.

“If you’re craving Zara, try a car boot sale, charity or vintage shop and take advantage of online circular fashion via websites like eBay, Depop or Vestiaire Collective. I’d also recommend renting an outfit for when you want something for an event or wedding, my go-to is Hurr.”

venetiafalconer

Verified

BOYCOTT BLACK FRIDAY?
I want to start by saying that for some people, Black Friday is their only chance to afford something they’ve been lusting after for a really long time - and perhaps something that is going to add real value to their life. I am not in a position to comment on those people. But what I will say, is that crucially, they are in the minority. ⁣
⁣
To bring you up to speed, Black Friday is a shopping weekend that traditionally starts the day after Thanksgiving in America (NB, this is not a public holiday here in the UK, we just love an excuse to over consume). It started as a day, then it spread to a long weekend, and now, with consumerism at an all time high, it’s an entire week long. In fact…
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⚫️Last year in the UK, shoppers spent £1.49 billlion over Black Friday weekend [Interactive Media In Retail Group via Fashion Revolution] ⁣
⚫️In the USA, more than £6.4billion was spent on Cyber Monday, the highest e-commerce sales day in American history [Adobe Analytics via Fashion Revolution]

A few pointers I just learned from a quick click onto the websites of some of the the UK’s fastest fashion stores…
⚫️@PrettyLittleThing are offering up to 80% off their entire site
⚫️@Missguided are offering up to 90% off everything
⚫️@ASOS are offering 70% off - their ‘biggest ever’

Not only is this level of consumption having a negative impact on the planet, it’s having a negative impact on the PEOPLE who are making these clothes ⚫️ We are producing 80 BILLION pieces of clothing each year - that’s 400% more than the amount we consumed just two decades ago (@truecostmovie) ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
We are being encouraged to BUY BUY BUY as a means to make us think that this will bring us happiness. NEWSFLASH: it doesn’t. And fun fact, NOT SHOPPING IS FREE.

It’s time to ask ‘WHY?’ before you buy. 
If you truly LOVE something, buy it. 
If you don’t, leave it. 
And again, NOT SHOPPING IS FREE!⁣
⁣
♻️#OOOTD (old outfit of the day) : t shirt: @depop, skirt @hurr, jacket, belt + kicks: 4 years old

Venetia La Manna

🌎recovering hypocrite + climate activist
♻️on a mission to slow fast fashion
🌱host of #TalkingTastebuds podcast
🤳🏼@48hourchallenge 2020 retreat👇🏼www.ourretreat.co.uk/retreat/march-27th-30th-2020

If you’re not ready to change your shopping habits and completely boycott the high street, La Manna suggests simply trying to shop less frequently.

“Slowing down our overall consumption can have a huge impact,” she adds.