The 2024 Netflix documentary “Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy” highlights an important message: as long as the fashion industry continues to mass-produce, achieving true sustainability will never be an easy task.

 

Former marketing executive Mara Einstein said in the documentary that some fast-fashion brands encourage consumers to return their old clothes in exchange for vouchers, which can be used for a discount on their next purchase.

 

Lucy Siegle, a British journalist for the BBC and writer on environmental issues, who once wrote an opinion piece for The Guardian, and said in the article that whilst H&M announced in 2016 that it would collect 1,000 tonnes of unwanted clothes, in fact, it would take them 12 years to use up, whereas it takes only around 48 hours to produce that same amount of clothing.

 

The H&M website states that the Garment Collecting scheme accepts second-hand clothing of any brand, regardless of condition, and successful participation typically results in a 15% discount voucher.

 

Critics argue through the internet that such voucher programmes risk stimulating additional consumption more than they reduce waste, and can slide into “greenwashing.”

 

According to an article by the Consumer Council, greenwashing is defined as the creation or dissemination of an unfounded or misleading image of environmentalism. Put simply, it refers to the practice whereby organisations exaggerate, make unsubstantiated or false claims about the environmental benefits of their products; it is a form of “pseudo-environmentalism” and may even result in the creation of further pollution in the process.

 

“Greenwashing is highly contradictory. Sometimes, when brands collect old clothes, it is merely a marketing strategy designed to project an eco-friendly image, yet the underlying objective has nothing to do with environmental protection,” Leung said.

 

Shein, a massive global online-only fast fashion retailer founded in 2012, is known for selling affordable clothing with a strong focus on social media-driven trends. 

 

In August 2025, the Italian Competition Authority announced that it had fined Shein €1 million (approximately HK$9.05 million) over greenwashing allegations. 

 

The AGCM launched an investigation in September 2024 and found that whilst Shein claimed on its website to support environmental sustainability and fulfil social responsibilities, much of the relevant content was vague, or even overemphasised benefits or omitted key information, which did not align with the actual products and manufacturing processes. 

 

Shein’s “evoluSHEIN by design” sustainable clothing range, which is marketed as being manufactured in a more sustainable and responsible manner, was found by the AGCM to contain descriptions on its website that could wrongly lead consumers to believe the products are fully recyclable.

 

In 2021, Zara launched a sustainable clothing line called Join Life, which uses polyester made from captured carbon emissions. Zara claims on the website that this helps reduce the consumption of virgin fossil resources.

 

However, according to a report by Euronews, the resulting textiles are not made entirely from captured carbon, and Zara has been criticised for failing to address the crisis of overconsumption by limiting production or encouraging consumers to buy less. Instead, it is accused of using the banner of sustainability to sell more products and assuage consumers’ guilt.

 

“Simply expanding so-called sustainable clothing production lines is essentially just another way of boosting sales. As far as environmental protection is concerned, it merely addresses the symptoms rather than the root cause,” said Leung.