Fast fashion is pushing a carefully crafted but misleading image of “green” responsibility, according to new research highlighted by BlueSky Education .
A new study from the University of Vaasa argues that major fast fashion brands use sustainability messaging and influencer marketing to soothe consumer guilt and justify constant buying and binning, while the underlying business model remains rooted in overproduction and waste.
storytelling is closer to branding than real change. How Fast Fashion Builds a “Green” Image The research team, including Associate Professors Henna Syrjälä and Hanna Leipämaa-Leskinen with doctoral student Tiia Alkkiomäki , analysed 401 social media posts from Swedish fast fashion leaders H&M and Lindex across 2020 .
They examined captions, visuals, and campaign narratives to see how sustainability themes show up in everyday brand content. The posts often spotlighted “green” initiatives, collections, or causes, even though these typically cover a small share of total production.
The researchers found that these brands strategically frame themselves as fair, ethical, and environmentally conscious, helping maintain the illusion that fast fashion can be “responsible” without fundamentally changing its volume-driven model.
This image-building, they argue, keeps the system running by reassuring consumers that shopping from these retailers can still be a good choice for the planet—so long as they pick the “right” line or capsule…
