On the way towards using 100% sustainable materials
Today, 57% of all materials used by H&M group is recycled or sustainably sourced. This is an increase from 35% in just one year, and takes us closer to our goal to only use recycled or other sustainably sourced materials by 2030.
This is an important part of our mission to make sustainable fashion and design available for everyone today, tomorrow and for generations to come.
When it comes to cotton, 95% of the cotton H&M group uses today is either recycled or sustainably sourced. This means that we are close to reaching our goal of using 100% preferred cotton (organic cotton, recycled cotton and Better Cotton sourced through the Better Cotton Initiative) by 2020. Monki is already there and has since autumn 2018 used only preferred cotton. In 2020, this will be reality for the entire H&M group across all brands. According to Textile Exchange, H&M group is the biggest user of preferred cotton in the world, and the second biggest user of recycled and organic cotton.
As part of our 2030 goal to only use sustainably sourced materials, we are now beginning to gradually phase out conventional cashmere. For example, H&M will stop placing orders on conventional cashmere at the end of next year. While cashmere is popular for its soft texture and known as a high-quality material, it comes with both environmental and animal welfare challenges.
We will continue to work for a more transparent supply chain, where cashmere is sourced from sustainable sources that are independently certified by standards that cover both animal welfare and environmental aspects. If the cashmere industry in the future would meet our sustainability criteria, we could consider turning to virgin cashmere again. Besides our work to improve the industry, we will also continue to look at alternatives with an equally great feel and value to customers as cashmere, but with less environmental impacts.