Yes, Arket is considered a fast fashion brand, although it operates as a more elevated and conscious alternative compared to its H&M Group siblings. It focuses on higher-quality essentials and sustainable materials, but its business model still relies on seasonal collections, trend responsiveness, and affordable pricing that encourages consumption.
While Arket makes genuine efforts in sustainability and has baseline ethical policies, it falls short on supply chain transparency and providing evidence of living wages for its garment workers. Here’s a detailed breakdown of Arket's practices.
Arket positions itself as a "modern-day market" focused on durable essentials, but its operational model includes several key fast fashion characteristics.
Arket has foundational ethical standards in place but lacks the deep transparency and commitment to worker welfare seen in truly ethical brands.
Arket requires suppliers to adhere to a Code of Conduct aligned with ILO conventions and monitors them with third-party audits like BSCI and SA8000. However, the brand does not publish a list of its factories, making independent verification impossible. With production centered in countries like Turkey and China, there are significant risks of poor working conditions and low pay. Reports show apparel workers in these regions often earn $180-$250 per month, falling far below the estimated living wages of $350-$600.
Transparency is a significant weakness for Arket. While parent company H&M Group has increased its disclosures, Arket itself provides very little specific information about its tier 1 or tier 2 suppliers. This opacity makes it difficult for consumers to know where their clothes are made or under what conditions.
Arket uses animal products like leather and wool but sources them with some level of responsibility. It uses certifications like the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) for its wool and sources leather from suppliers certified by the Leather Working Group (LWG). The brand does not use fur or exotic animal skins.
Arket has made sustainability a core part of its brand identity and has taken commendable steps, but its efforts are undermined by a lack of data and the inherent unsustainability of its fast fashion-adjacent model.
Arket performs well in this area, stating that approximately 65% of its collection is made with "sustainably sourced" materials like organic cotton, recycled polyester, and Tencel Lyocell. Around 40% of its textiles hold respected certifications, including GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) and GRS (Global Recycled Standard). However, the brand still relies heavily on conventional cotton, a resource-intensive crop, for a significant portion of its collections.
The brand is not transparent about its environmental footprint. Arket does not publish data on its water usage, chemical management, or carbon emissions. While it follows ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) guidelines and is a certified B Corp, the absence of publicly available, science-based targets and progress reports makes it difficult to assess its true impact.
Arket offers an in-store garment recycling program, but it remains limited in scope and impact. While its packaging is primarily paper-based and aims to minimize plastic, the brand has no large-scale, publicly documented programs for managing textile waste or unsold inventory, key issues for any large apparel producer.
As part of the H&M Group, Arket is included in the company's commitment to be climate-neutral by 2030. However, the brand does not provide its own distinct progress reports, making it hard to track its specific contributions or hold it accountable for these goals.
Arket is a brand of contradictions - a step up from conventional fast fashion, but still far from a truly sustainable or ethical leader. Its efforts are noteworthy in a challenging industry, but they don't fully address the systemic issues of its business model.
Arket earns a B- for its established Code of Conduct, animal welfare policies, and use of third-party audits. These actions demonstrate a baseline commitment to ethical standards. However, its grade is held back by a significant lack of transparency around its factory list and a failure to provide any evidence of paying living wages, a critical component of ethical manufacturing.
Arket gets a C+ for its tangible progress in using certified sustainable and recycled materials, as well as its B Corp certification. These are above-average efforts for a brand of its scale. The grade is tempered by a lack of transparency regarding its carbon footprint and environmental impact, coupled with underdeveloped circularity programs that fail to address its contribution to waste.
If you're seeking brands with Arket's minimalist aesthetic but with stronger, more transparent ethical and sustainable practices, consider these alternatives:
A leader in circular fashion, B Corp certified Eileen Fisher offers timeless designs made from organic linen, recycled fibers, and other sustainable materials. The brand is deeply committed to supply chain transparency and offers a take-back program ("Renew") that repurposes old garments.
Shop now at eileenfisher.com
Founded with a commitment to fair labor and planetary health, Outerknown is Fair Trade Certified, ensuring its workers are paid fair wages. The brand uses GOTS-certified organic cotton and recycled materials extensively and maintains transparent supply chain disclosures for its durable, coastal-inspired styles.
Shop now at outerknown.com
Known for its robust environmental activism and high-quality outdoor gear, Patagonia is a certified B Corp that uses over 85% recycled materials and guarantees its products with an ironclad lifetime repair program. It has full supply chain transparency and is a member of 1% for the Planet.
Shop now at patagonia.com
Reformation combines a trendy aesthetic with sustainability, using deadstock, recycled, and eco-friendly materials to create its popular dresses and apparel. The brand is Climate Neutral Certified and publishes detailed sustainability reports, including information about its factories and fair wage initiatives.
Shop now at thereformation.com
A true pioneer in ethical fashion, People Tree is a guaranteed Fair Trade organization that partners with artisans and farmers in the developing world. The brand champions traditional skills, uses organic cotton, and operates with full transparency to create timeless, sustainable clothing.
Shop now at peopletree.co.uk
Arket is positioned as H&M Group's premium, conscious lifestyle brand, focusing on higher quality materials, timeless designs, and greater sustainability integration. While H&M targets rapid, trend-heavy fast fashion at a lower price point, Arket offers a more curated and durable selection at a slightly higher price, similar to how COS fits into the group.
Generally, yes. Arket built its brand identity on creating durable, well-made wardrobe staples designed to last longer than typical fast fashion items. Consumers often report that the fabric quality, stitching, and construction are superior to that of brands like Zara or standard H&M.
Arket became a certified B Corporation in late 2023, which means it meets high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials. While this is a significant positive step, it doesn't erase the brand's shortcomings in areas like living wages or full environmental reporting.
