Princess Polly Is B Corp Certified. So What Does “Sustainable” Actually Mean?

In July 2025, Australian fashion brand Princess Polly made an announcement that would normally be a reason to celebrate.

The fast-fashion retailer had become a Certified B Corporation.

B Corp is one of the best-known sustainability certifications in the world. It is designed to recognise businesses that meet standards for their impact on workers, communities, customers and the environment.

Princess Polly received a score of 86.8 out of 200, comfortably above the 80 points needed for certification.

There was just one problem.

A lot of sustainability experts did not think Princess Polly belonged there.

The brand is known for its trend-driven fashion and constant stream of new products. Critics argued that a business model built around producing and selling large amounts of clothing doesn't become sustainable simply because it scores well on a certification assessment.

The backlash was immediate.

Sustainability experts questioned the decision. Fashion professionals criticised B Corp for weakening its own standards. And on social media, consumers asked a very simple question:

How can fast fashion be sustainable?

That question turned into a much bigger debate about what sustainability certifications actually measure — and, perhaps more importantly, how sustainability itself is being used in marketing.

Unfortunately, not every brand talking about sustainability actually cares about the environment or people.

Some brands have simply realised that consumers care about the environment, fair working conditions and ethical production — and that these values can help sell products.

So they use words like sustainable, conscious and eco-friendly. They launch “green” collections. They highlight recycled materials, better packaging or small improvements in their supply chain.

The problem comes when these things are used to make a business look much more sustainable than it really is.

A company can talk about recycled materials while continuing to produce huge amounts of clothing.

It can promote a more “conscious” collection while releasing hundreds of new styles every week.

It can highlight one sustainable initiative while its entire business model still depends on people constantly buying more.

That is where sustainability can become greenwashing: when caring about the planet becomes part of the sales strategy, rather than a reason to fundamentally change the way a business operates.

And, perhaps most importantly, a tiny business that has never been certified can sometimes operate in ways that are far more responsible — simply because of its size, its production model and the way it does business.

So what can a sustainability certification really tell us?

And what happens when the certificate itself starts becoming part of the marketing?