Comments on what was stated in Kalla Fakta
In May, H&M was contacted by the TV4 programme Kalla Fakta because they wanted to make a programme about H&M and our sustainability work, focusing on Cambodia. Our approach has always been to make ourselves as open and approachable to Kalla Fakta as possible, so that they can make a balanced programme and shed light on these important issues. This evening programme contains a number of incorrect statements and conclusions about H&M and our work. We do not recognise ourselves in the picture of H&M given in the programme and therefore wish to publish the following comment.
H&M supports higher wages
Kalla Fakta’s programme is based around the idea that H&M’s competitors are better than H&M when it comes to the issue of a living wage, and H&M was portrayed as not supporting a living wage in our Code of Conduct. This is not correct.
Obviously we feel that people must be able to live on their wage, and our Code of Conduct has the same level of ambition when it comes to the wage issue as other companies’ codes of conduct: that a statutory minimum wage is the basic requirement, with the aim that this wage shall be possible to live on. It is what you do in practice that makes a difference, and here H&M is at the forefront.
That it is not possible to live on the minimum wage is an industry problem in many production countries. Naturally, H&M takes a positive view of increasing the wage to textile workers in our suppliers’ factories. That is why we also work in partnership with other brands and lobby at a political level for the minimum wage to be high enough for people to live on. We want to have a lasting change that has been negotiated between workers and employees. This should be done through collective agreements that will benefit all the textile workers in a country.
H&M is a leader in corporate social responsibility
We invest significant resources and work actively to help improve conditions long-term for the textile workers in our purchasing countries. The social and environmental responsibility that we shoulder puts H&M’s sustainability work ahead of the field in the fashion industry worldwide.
Our business concept is to offer fashion and quality at the best price. To us, quality means more than simply ensuring that the garments meet our high requirements of function and safety. We also want our customers to feel secure in the knowledge that everything they buy at H&M is designed, manufactured and processed with consideration for people and the environment.
How is H&M able to maintain low prices?
It is a common misconception that low prices mean poor working conditions. Wage costs are just one of many factors that affect the price in the stores. The same factories from which H&M buys products also make clothing for many other clothing brands. The employees at a factory are paid the same regardless of which brand they are producing garments for and regardless of what the final price will be in the store.
Our good prices in the store are influenced by a great many different factors: we buy large volumes of clothing direct from the manufacturer, we use very few or no middle men, we have efficient logistics and we sell clothes in our own stores.
More detailed information on our challenges and the headway we are making in the area of sustainability can be found in our latest sustainability report: www.hm.com/consciousactions2011
You are also welcome to follow our Sustainability Update, in which we update you with our latest news:
http://about.hm.com/content/hm/NewsroomSection/sv_se/NewsRoom.html