We want to promote diversity and advance the inclusion of people. We drive inclusion and diversity with our global reach by creating a real sense of community across our brands, leading to positive change. Community, for us, means both external communities that are underserved and internal communities within our organisation. We want people to know and associate H&M Group as an inclusive business that promotes inclusion and diversity internally and throughout our value chain.
LGBTQ+ Rights
The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project is the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organisation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) young people. They provide information, support, and counselling to LGBTQ young people.
H&M USA is proud to support The Trevor Project and its mission to end suicide among LGBTQ young people. The partnership has had an extensive impact, helping to engage employees, customers, and community members. With H&M USA’s year-round support, The Trevor Project continues to both scale at a rapid rate and improve care as an organisation committed to saving young lives.
The Marsha P. Johnson Institute
H&M USA joined the Marsha P. Johnson Institute in solidarity by honouring and uplifting the brilliance, creativity, and resilience of transgender people.
The Marsha P. Johnson Institute (MPJI) protects and defends the human rights of BLACK transgender people by organising, advocating, creating an intentional community to heal, developing transformative leadership, and promoting their collective power. Designed to elevate, support, and nourish the voices of BLACK trans people, The MPJI community is made up of BLACK trans people and those committed to undoing white supremacy in all of its forms. Their space is intended for the sole purpose of bettering the BLACK trans community across the diaspora.
To celebrate beauty inherent within varied gender identities, H&M USA and MPJI’s “Fresh and Fabulous for Fall” event aimed to instil confidence in LGBTQ+ youth ahead of the new school year by providing local students with back-to-school shopping sprees and identity-affirming resources in cities across the U.S.
Body Positivity
We salute transparency online, so do our brands. Monki has teamed up with Body Dysmorphic Disorder Foundation to raise awareness and support their petition directed at the EU Parliament calling for transparency on altered images on social media. Because we believe organisations, companies, and influencers should be legally required to state when images have been manipulated for paid content online.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), a distressing psychological condition where a person becomes very preoccupied with one or more features in physical appearance. Altered images can affect our body image, triggering body dissatisfaction and exacerbating BDD symptoms. We see this petition as a vital tool for approaching the EU Parliament to raise questions and drive real change.
Monki hopes to raise awareness, reduce the stigma connected with BDD and to give hope of recovery to those suffering from the condition.
Strategic investments
The world doesn’t stop outside our door. External partnerships help express corporate inclusion and diversity values to the broader public and support our company shape the world we want to inhabit. The following examples highlight our pursuits for social justice and the leading position that the H&M Group aim to take.
Racial Equity in the U.S.
H&M Group is committed to investing to support organisations working to address racial inequality in the U.S.A. (i.e., NAACP LDF, NAN, ACLU, NUL)
One example of this, is how H&M uses its platform and resources to support and amplify the work of grassroots community organisations. Buy From a Black Woman is a non-profit organisation founded in 2016 by Nikki Porcher that connects Black Women owned businesses across the United States and provides a community of support to help their businesses flourish.
Buy From a Black Woman ensures that Black Women have the tools and resources that will allow them to be successful, such as business education programs, exposure through its curated online directory, and opportunities for networking and financial resources. H&M USA has supported Buy From a Black Woman through various sponsorships and activities. Find out more here.
