What does it really mean when a disposable fashion brand earns a sustainability seal?
What happens when B Corp meets ultra-fast fashion?
When BusinessWire announces, “Princess Polly Becomes a Certified B Corporation™”, and BOF frames it as “the US-Australian Shein competitor earning socially responsible recognition,” we’re forced to ask: Is this progress — or just polished greenwashing?
BOF’s headline says it all: “Can an Ultra-Fast Fashion Brand Be ‘Sustainable’?”
Spoiler: it’s a rhetorical question. At least, we hope so.
What is a B Corp?
“A B Corp certification signifies that a company meets certain standards of social and environmental responsibility, but it doesn’t address all aspects of operations and practices.” —This is Greenwashing
B Corp certification and ultra-fast fashion: A Stamp of approval or a smokescreen?
Princess Polly’s Co-CEO, Eirin Bryett, celebrates the certification as proof of their “commitment to purpose-driven practices.”
But let’s be real: can a brand built on overproduction, hyper-consumption, and disposable trends genuinely “embed sustainability into every part of its business”?
After finishing This Is Greenwashing, we almost shelved it, thinking the market was saturated with truth-tellers. Turns out, the greenwashing playbook is still going strong.
The B Corp blind spot: Overproduction
In our book, This is Greenwashing, we called out B Corp’s limitations:
“B Corp certification evaluates various aspects of a company’s operations, including its environmental impact. However, overproduction may not be explicitly addressed, emphasising instead the use of sustainable materials, ethical labour practices, and other criteria.”
Fast fashion’s entire model relies on planned obsolescence — yet B Corp rewards brands for ticking boxes (recycled packaging! carbon offsets!) while sidestepping the root problem: overproduction. And ultra-fast fashion takes it to an even more extreme level.
B Corp and ultra-fast fashion – Final thoughts
We don’t doubt Princess Polly’s intentions. But good intentions don’t change business models.
When a brand profits from overproduction, it isn’t sustainable.
When a brand profits from convincing shoppers to buy more, faster — then slaps on a sustainability badge — it’s not progress. It’s PR.
So, what happens when B Corp meets ultra-fast fashion?
Simple: it’s greenwashing in a purpose-washed package.
Worse yet, the very notion that ultra-fast fashion could be labelled ‘sustainable’ is absurd.
In short, this is greenwashing.
P.S. Tired of being misled?
Read This is Greenwashing — awareness is power.
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Spot the lies. Demand better.