H&M ramps up green initiatives

H&MSwedish fashion retailer, H&M, has ramped up its green initiatives and a commitment to use 100 per cent recycled or other sustainably sourced materials by 2030

According to the group’s latest sustainability report, H&M has aimed to become climate positive throughout its entire value chain by 2040, and switch to 100 per cent renewable electricity.

In 2016, 96 per cent of the company’s global electricity in its own operations came from renewable sources. The report also mentions that H&M in 2016 was named the biggest global user of cotton certified by the Better Cotton Initiative.

Since the start of the global Garment Collecting initiative in 2013, the H&M group has collected 39,000 tonnes of unwanted textiles. By 2020 the company aims to collect at least 25,000 tonnes of textiles every year.

“We want to use our size and scale to lead the change towards circular and renewable fashion while making our company even more fair and equal,” said Anna Gedda, head of sustainability at the H&M group.

“This is why we have developed a new strategy aiming to take our sustainability work to the next level.”

Gedda said they want to lead by example, pave the way and try new things – both when it comes to the environmental and social side – to ultimately make fashion sustainable and sustainability fashionable.

“Our climate positive strategy is one way of doing this,” she said.

The fast fashion retailer said it will work to reduce more greenhouse gas emissions than its value chain emits.

In 2016, the H&M group reduced its CO2 emissions by 47 per cent compared to 2015.

H&M has also initiated a research project with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University to find out how a circular system for producing and using textiles, which is less dependent on scarce natural resources, would look like.

During 2016, H&M collected 16,000 tonnes of textiles from instore and has set the target of collecting at least 25,000 tonnes by 2020.

In total, 39,000 tonnes of textiles has been collected since the start of its garment collecting initiative in 2013.

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