H&M joins EU’s ‘Green Consumption’ initiative

BRUSSELS – H&M has joined a new pilot initiative from the European Union focused on more sustainable consumption. Launched in early 2021, the ‘Green Consumption Pledge’ – another voluntary initiative – is part of the European Climate Pact, a package of measures intended to “transform the European continent into a climate-neutral continent by 2050.”

The EU said the initiative aims to motivate companies to participate in climate protection measures. However, the inclusion of a fast fashion company in the pledge raises serious question marks about the European Union’s credibility and judgement given fast fashion is a notoriously wasteful industry. The EU is also surely sending precisely the wrong message to European consumers at a time when most neutral observers accept that a shift towards slower fashion represents the industry’s best bet of managing its burgeoning carbon footprint.