Unraveling The Second-Hand Clothing Industry: A Case Study Of H&M?s Campaign Let?s Close The Loop
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)
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Abstract: This thesis deconstructs H&M?s sustainability campaign ?Let?s Close the Loop? against the backdrop of global second-hand clothing (SHC) flows. It combines sustainability report content analysis with interviews from stakeholders in Kenya and Ghana?highlighting the environmental burden, social tensions, and corporate greenwashing tied to fast fashion's export practices. Findings critique the campaign's circularity claims as performative, exposing unequal power dynamics, textile waste saturation in African markets, and ecological degradation from synthetic fibers. The paper links SHC trade with waste colonialism and argues for re-evaluating fashion industry accountability, proposing policy reforms, consumer literacy, and equitable reuse frameworks that decenter global North supply chains.