Fast fashion: Zara promises all its clothes will be sustainable by 2025 (2024)

FAQs

Fast fashion: Zara promises all its clothes will be sustainable by 2025? ›

In 2019, they announced they would use only sustainable materials by 2025. Yet Zara's FY 2020 Statement on Non-Financial Information provides zero concrete proof that they've actually removed hazardous chemicals from their supply chain as per their Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals program.

In 2023 they promise to eliminate single-use plastics for customers. By 2025 they plan to introduce more sustainable 100% linen and sustainable or recycled polyester. By 2040 they promise to have zero net emissions.

The Dark Side of Fast Fashion

It dries up water sources and pollutes rivers and streams, while 85% of all textiles go to dumps each year. Even washing clothes releases 500,000 tons of microfibres into the ocean each year, the equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles.

The secret behind Zara's success lies in its data-driven model of fast fashion. Unlike traditional fashion brands that plan collections far in advance, Zara designs, produces and distributes new styles in a matter of weeks based on the latest trends.

At the heart of Zara's success lies its revolutionary fast-fashion approach. Unlike traditional fashion retailers, Zara embraces the idea of delivering trendy clothing quickly and at affordable prices. This approach allows Zara to stay ahead of fashion trends and cater to the ever-changing tastes of its customers.

Its core values are found in four simple terms: beauty, clarity, functionality and sustainability. The secret to Zara's success has largely being driven by its ability to keep up with rapidly changing fashion trends and showcase it in its collections with very little delay.

Inditex, the company who owns Zara, announces plans to cut emissions, use low-impact fibres, expand their circularity projects and pursue new biodiversity initiatives by 2030.

Zara and H&M are both fast fashion brands that have been heavily scrutinized for their environmental and social impact. While both brands have made some progress when it comes to sustainability and ethical practices, it's difficult to say which brand is more ethical.

Most fast fashion clothes end up in landfills

Globally we produce about 100 billion garments each year and send 92 billion the landfill. Because they're not made to last, and they're made from non-recyclable fabrics, fast fashion clothing is prone to end up in landfills where it can sit for centuries.

Is Zara ethical and sustainable? ›

THE RESULTS: Is Zara Ethical and Sustainable? Zara falls far behind truly sustainable brands. Their Join Life program isn't doing enough to make meaningful change. They're also still promoting the mass consumerism that feeds into fast fashion, and is inherently unsustainable.

The Zara brand strategy

Its core values are found in four simple terms: beauty, clarity, functionality and sustainability. The secret to Zara's success has largely being driven by its ability to keep up with rapidly changing fashion trends and showcase it in its collections with very little delay.

Zara's strategy is to offer a higher number of available products than its competitors. While most clothing retailers manufacture and offer to the public for sale 2,000 to 4,000 different articles of clothing, Zara's production has been markedly higher, at over 10,000 pieces produced per year.

The controversial images, featuring statues with missing limbs set against a backdrop of rubble, have sparked public outrage and calls for a boycott.

Zara's strategic objectives can be seen as its sustainability goals, which it recently announced and can be seen as: Elimination of Chemical Hazards from its supply chain ecosystem. Proper and effective disposal of all of its apparels by collecting them from stores.

Zara creates value for its customers by offering stylish, high-quality clothing at affordable prices. The brand is renowned for its ability to respond quickly to the latest trends in fashion, often introducing new styles in just a few weeks.