Recommendations
In order to keep up with the everchanging fashion industry, H&M need to adapt themselves to becoming fully sustainable for the sake of the planet and their customers. To do this it is suggested that they take part in a complete rebranding of their business through the incorporation of biotechnological materials or ‘Sustainable Solutions’ into their garments, whilst removing their current ‘Conscious Collection’ and any unsustainable products. By integrating biotechnology into their brand, not only would this allow H&M to be more innovative with their designs, using fibres grown from algae and seaweed or genetically engineered spider silk bacteria, but it would greatly benefit the environment. One report found that the average water footprint for a kilo of cotton (one pair of jeans and a shirt) was between 10 and 20 thousand litres, with major cotton suppliers to the UK, India and Pakistan suffering from high levels of water scarcity.
Furthermore, it evidenced how the fashion industry consumes more energy than the aviation and shipping industries combined; with emissions set to increase by 63% by 2030; highlighting the devastating impacts the fashion industry has on the environment and our natural resources. The incorporation of biotech into the H&M brand would allow them to assess their supply chain, where and how materials are grown and what the effects on the environment are. As these biotechnological materials can be cultivated almost anywhere or within a lab, this would enable H&M to produce garments from anywhere in the world, also reducing the amount of air miles and air pollution created during the process of transportation.
Example Product: Silk blouse crafted using AMSilk vegan spider silk alternative.
Example Product: Jersey sweatshirt designed using Algalife seaweed and algae fibres.
Whilst a complete rebranding of H&M would be both costly and time consuming, it is important to the target market that brands begin taking steps towards becoming more sustainable, as a Mintel report found that 56% felt that sustainability was either very or somewhat important to them. Such drastic action from the H&M brand would almost guarantee brand loyalty from both new and old customers, as well as reaffirming their position as market leader, providing genuine sustainable products to the mass market; given that sustainable materials are set to become mainstream amongst major fashion stakeholders.
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The new ‘Sustainable Solutions’ will reflect H&M’s current product offerings of tops, dresses, jeans, jumpers, loungewear, as well as menswear and kids clothing, all popular amongst the consumer market, but will be adapted in the rebranding through the inclusion of biotechnological materials, allowing H&M to follow their brand values of innovation and adaptation. ‘Sustainable Solutions’ will be released in two collections per year for A/W and S/S, to reduce both the overproduction and overconsumption experienced within the industry, as one study found that in 2016, UK households sent 300,000 tonnes of clothing to landfill, where textile waste will take hundreds of years to decompose and emit greenhouse gases during the process. In addition, releasing so few collections each year allows H&M time to grow and produce the biotech materials for production, as well as a chance to be more creative and innovative with their designs – setting trends rather than following them. Making these garments to order at the request of the consumer will create a buzz amongst H&M’s customer base because they will have to wait for new designs, influencing a more sustainable approach to consuming fashion and putting a stop to the throwaway culture currently promoted by the fast fashion industry by producing less waste.
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To stay connected with their existing consumer base, it is recommended that H&M maintain their current brand identity in terms of logo and personality, but that they revaluate their values of sustainability and focus more directly on achieving their goals in relation to this; introducing biotech materials in order to attract a wider target market of environmentally conscious consumers. In doing so they will be engaging with the consumer directly, listening to and acting on their requests and pleas for more honesty surrounding fashion brands’ sustainability and genuine solutions to the wider issue of climate change and global warming. The price of the ‘Sustainable Solutions’ collections will be set at a higher rate than H&M’s current ‘Conscious Collection’ in order to make up for the costs of reassessing the supply chain, changing how the garments are manufactured, the cost of the materials and so on, whilst this entire rebranding of H&M is going to be costly, some of the costs of doing so will have to be taken on by the customer through the price of the clothing.
However, one study found that 73% of Generation Z customers said that they were more than willing to pay a premium rate for sustainable products, with 54% of those willing to pay 10 percent or more for those products. Customers loyal to the H&M brand would be happy with the price increase as they would know how and where the materials and garments were grown, designed and created, whilst knowing that they hadn’t negatively impacted the environment during the process. In addition, loyal customers are more likely to purchase more of each annual collection, as despite being at a higher price point, the collections would be more accessible to the H&M consumer base, gaining the brand a high profit margin and increasing levels of customer satisfaction.
Example Product: Organic cotton dress, dyed using Faber Futures technology, reducing water consumption.
Furthermore, the inclusion of biotech would benefit the customer as the quality of the collections could be vastly improved and boast more features than previous materials used. One report found that Algalife have engineered and grown fibres made from seaweed and algae, using only water and sunlight to grow. Not only does this provide them with a closed-loop manufacturing system, but the materials are durable, allergen, pesticide and chemical free and also nourish the wearer’s skin. If H&M were to use materials such as this, they would be able to provide themselves with a unique selling point for their new collections, intriguing and attracting both customers new and old.
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For H&M a rebranding of their business boasts many advantages. Studies found that greenwashing or claims of greenwashing were very important to the consumer market and any inkling of false or misleading claims very severely altered their perceptions of the brand, for H&M the introduction of ethical and environmentally friendly biotech into their business will dismiss any of these claims, as well as introducing them into the sustainable fashion market. Evidencing their dedication to their brand value of sustainability, as well as the preservation of the environment, providing them with authenticity amongst this new market and instilling loyalty in both existing and new customers. Even though it will cost H&M more money to rebrand and change their entire supply chain and manufacturing process, these biotechnological materials could in fact save them money as they can be grown and manufactured in a variety of habitats or environments. Also, reducing any pollution caused through shipping around the world and any excess textile waste as they will be made to order.
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In conclusion, the rebranding of H&M and the introduction of their new ‘Sustainable Solutions’ collections would be beneficial to the brand, the consumer and the environment. It is an innovative way to encourage both existing and new customers to engage with H&M, purchasing their products, and practicing more ethical methods on consuming fashion on a less regular basis. This rebranding and collection would help the environment by abolishing excess waste throughout production as the materials will be grown and cultivated to order, positioning H&M as a market leader for sustainable high street fashion; with products available to all, again encouraging sustainable methods of fashion consumption. Overall, aligning themselves with their brand value of sustainability and ethics and proving to the consumer they are dedicated to the cause of protecting the planet.
Example Product: Trench coat made from Bolt Threads' leather alternative, mycelium grown Mylo.