About Corporate Responsibility

How do you check that your suppliers in Asia are abiding by your rules?
In all major Asiatic markets we have offices employing full-time staff to ensure that the rules of our Code of Conduct are observed. They visit the factories daily and on major inspections go through a list containing over 300 points relating to working conditions, the working environment, etc. After each audit we collate the results in a report, specifying the areas where improvements are needed. H&M and the supplier agree on a date by which these improvements must be made and this is then followed up.

Read more about our Code of Conduct follow-up here.
Does H&M sell garments made in Burma?
No, we have a policy against trade with Burma under the present regime. In line with our commitment to human rights, H&M has a policy of not sourcing products manufactured in Burma. This policy will stand until the situation in Burma changes.

H&M is convinced that human rights issues require cooperation and dialogue with many different interested parties around the world. H&M will therefore consult with the Swedish Burma Committee as one source of information, before any initiatives of trade with or investments in Burma are taken. Thereby we can take into account the views of those working for democracy and respect for human rights in Burma when making our decision.
In December 1997 a TV documentary was broadcast in Sweden accusing H&M of using child labour in the Philippines. Do you allow children to be used in the production of your clothes?
H&M deliberately distances itself from child labour and consequently we do not accept that our suppliers use child labour in the production of our clothes. We make this clear in our Code of Conduct, which all our suppliers undertake to observe.

We ourselves were very concerned at the allegations in this case and followed them up immediately. In February 1998 we travelled to the Philippines and met the people who took part in the film. These included the nine-year-old girl who was alleged to be working trimming threads on sweaters. It quickly emerged that the allegations were incorrect. When the film was recorded (in summer 1997) Jo-Anne, as the girl is called, was on her summer holidays and had gone to spend an evening with her aunt who worked at the factory. The aunt had taken work home with her and Jo-Anne found it fun to help out for a while.

To assure ourselves that the picture that was conveyed to us during the visit was correct we took a Filipino specialist in child labour with us to the village. She confirmed what Jo-Anne, her teachers and parents told us: this was not a working child. She goes to school for eight hours a day and is a hardworking pupil.

Quite apart from this special case, we have full-time staff who visit our suppliers' factories daily to check that our Code of Conduct is being observed and that child labour is not being used.
Does H&M have a policy on fur and leather products?
H&M does not sell real fur. H&M only sells leather from cattle, pigs, goats and sheep that have been bred for meat production. The same applies to down and feathers, e.g. in our down jackets – these come only from birds bred for meat production.
Does the company have any plans for ISO 14001 certification?
H&M has no plans to apply for ISO 14001 certification. This way of working does not fit in very well with our other ways of working. Instead we prefer to work seriously on environmental issues in our own way. If our environmental work is to be successful we know that it is important that it is integrated into our everyday work in a natural way. You can read more about our environmental work here.
What do you do with surplus clothes?
We donate clothes that do not meet H&M's quality requirements to charity organisations like Oxfam, Caritas, the Red Cross and Terre des Hommes. Each store is itself responsible for clothes that are returned to it, but we encourage the stores to pass on the clothes to suitable local charity organisations. We do not incinerate left-over clothing.
Do you test your cosmetics products on animals?
No animal testing is carried out on our cosmetics products, either during production or on the finished products.
Why don't the labels in H&M's clothes say where they are made?
From 2003 country of origin will be stated on the size label of all H&M products. In the US this information is already given on all products.
How can H&M manage to keep its prices so low?
We buy large quantities of the same garments direct from the supplier, with few middlemen, and sell the garments in our own stores. H&M has long experience of the textile industry and great knowledge of which goods should be bought from which market. In addition, we have invested a lot in a fast and cost-efficient distribution system. H&M is also permeated by cost-consciousness at every level, allowing us to offer the goods to the end customer at the very best price possible.