Sustainability H&M Group

At H&M, we like to think of sustainability as something we do, rather than something we simply say. This is an ongoing process, with a clear aim of continuous improvement. This is a journey that requires determination, passion and teamwork.

Our vision is for all our operations to be run in a way that is sustainable; economically, socially and environmentally. Turning this vision into reality will help us do great business using fewer resources. It will also allow us to improve the livelihood for people and strengthen the communities where we operate. We are involved in various projects and initiatives related to both environmental and social issues.

H&M strives to reduce textile waste – So we initiated Garment Collecting

Instead of throwing old or unwanted garments away, you can bring these to the H&M Store. We will then give them a new life. Together with I:collect we have created probably the world’s biggest retail garment take back system. In the short run we work to prevent textiles ending up in landfills and in the long run to close the textile loop. In early 2014, we took the first big steps in this mission and made the first products with at least 20% recycled material from collected garments. Want to know more, please check out:

What is Garment Collecting?

The H&M business concept is to offer fashion and quality at the best prices with sustainability as an added value. We achieve this by buying directly from manufacturers and by having efficient logistics and our own warehouses, not by compromising on our sustainability requirements. We are also cost-conscious at every stage and transporting goods by rail and sea is actually cheaper and results in lower carbon dioxide emissions than more expensive air transport.

The H&M business concept is to offer fashion and quality at the best prices with sustainability as an added value. We achieve this by buying directly from manufacturers and by having efficient logistics and our own warehouses, not by compromising on our sustainability requirements. We are also cost-conscious at every stage and transporting goods by rail and sea is actually cheaper and results in lower carbon dioxide emissions than more expensive air transport.

We also restrict the use of hazardous chemicals by means of our restrictions list, which all our suppliers are contractually bound to comply with. Our chemical restrictions list has been updated regularly since 1995 and was last updated in 2013. In 2013 we also introduced our first, so called, positive lists to help our suppliers choosing the chemical products that comply with our restrictions.

With our strong focus on sustainability, we don’t believe there is a direct conflict of interest between affordable prices and low climate impact.

H&M’s auditors carry out regular audits, both announced and unannounced to ensure that there are no underage workers at the factories. Child labour is extremely rare in the export garment industry. If, contrary to expectations, child labour is found to be used, H&M requires the supplier to take responsibility and work together with H&M and the families to find a solution in the best interests of the children in question. An investigation is then carried out which looks at how best to resolve the situation based on the interests of the children.

In many instances the solution will involve the supplier contributing financially to give the children access to education, while also compensating the families for loss of income. If H&M discovers that a supplier or any of its subcontractors is repeatedly breaching this ban on child labour, the contract is simply terminated.

We have been working with UNICEF since 2004 to protect the rights of some of the poorest children in the world. Currently, we are reaching out to more than two million children and the adults around them as part of two projects in India and Bangladesh, known as All for Children. The H&M Conscious Foundation took over the project at the end of 2014 and will continue to support the project with UNICEF until 2018.

Naturally, the health and safety of our customers is a top priority for us. This is why we work actively to restrict the use of chemicals. Our restrictions are some of the most stringent in the industry and often go well beyond legislative demands. All suppliers making products for H&M are contractually bound to comply with our restrictions list.

We apply the precautionary principle. This means that we are proactive in restricting chemicals, even if there is still scientific uncertainty as to whether or not they pose a risk to humans. We regularly test our products – both our own and those manufactured by third parties – to ensure that they do not contain harmful chemicals. H&M banned perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) from all its products in 2013. We are also part of the Roadmap to Zero, which strives to achieve zero discharge of hazardous chemicals.

We agree that wages in some production countries are too low. Ensuring that all textile workers should be able to live on their wages has always been our vision, and this is also stated in our Code of Conduct.

In November 2013, we developed a new roadmap based on our vision: a fair living wage covering workers’ basic needs should be paid by all our commercial goods suppliers. One important element of this is that H&M’s purchasing practices should permit this; while another states that this requirement is based on a skilled workforce whose wages are negotiated and reviewed annually, involving democratically elected trade unions or worker representatives. So the roadmap is allowing us to provide workers with the tools they need to negotiate their own wages, and we support this process.

It is important to remember that H&M neither owns nor operates the factories that make our products. So we do not set or pay the wages of factory employees. Even so, we bear the great responsibility of engaging in every possible way and promoting higher wages in production countries. We aim to contribute towards positive long-term development and higher wages for factory workers through our holistic wage strategy.

H&M is constantly working to improve cotton farming conditions. Our active involvement in the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), where we are members of the steering committee, is one of these initiatives. The BCI’s ambition is to enable millions of farmers around the world to grow cotton in a way that is more beneficial for both the farming community and the environment. Find out more about the BCI.

H&M also offers clothes made using organic cotton. The cotton used in these clothes is 100 per cent organic, certified by independent certification bodies such as the Control Union or IMO. We also incorporate organic cotton into some of our children’s clothing and babywear. We continue to tell cotton farmers that there is a demand for organic cotton and encourage them to switch from conventional to organic production. H&M is now one of the world’s biggest buyers of organic cotton. Find out more about certification of organic cotton.