Pollution: chemical management, wastewater and microfibres

Our approach includes chemical requirements, supplier follow-up, wastewater testing and disclosure through industry platforms.

This page focuses on chemicals used in production in our value chain, meaning the activities and suppliers involved in making our products. It also covers wastewater quality and fibre fragmentation. Product-level chemical restrictions are covered separately on our Chemical restrictions page.

Our chemical management work covers how manufacturing chemicals used in our value chain are managed, restricted and monitored. We use the ZDHC Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals Manufacturing Restricted Substances List or ZDHC MRSL) to inform requirements for chemicals used to process textile, apparel and footwear materials. It’s a list of chemical substances restricted from intentional use in the processing of textile materials, leather, rubber, foam, adhesives and trims used in textiles, apparel and footwear industries. “Intentional use” refers here to substances deliberately added to a chemical formulation to achieve a desired look or functionality.

Supplier follow-up is carried out through supplier requirements and industry tools. For suppliers using wet processes, such as dyeing or washing, this may include chemical inventory or reporting through tools such as the ZDHC Gateway Chemical Module. Supplier chemical usage data can be submitted through the module and used to generate InCheck reports, which provide an assessment of a manufacturing facility’s chemical inventory against the ZDHC MRSL. Wastewater test results are followed up separately for tier* 1 and tier 2 wet-processing units in our supply chain that have on-site wastewater treatment.

H&M Group’s Chemical Restrictions List sets product-level chemical requirements, including specific requirements for products intended for babies and children. We also use the AFIRM Restricted Substances List, an industry reference for restricted substances in apparel and footwear, to support product-level requirements. More details on product restrictions and testing are available on our Chemical restrictions page.

We also participate in multi-stakeholder initiatives such as the ZDHC Foundation and the Microfibre 2030 Commitment, which bring brands and other stakeholders together around shared tools and approaches on chemical management, wastewater and fibre fragmentation.

These collaborations support the development and use of common standards, tools and approaches for chemical management, wastewater and fibre fragmentation. They also help us follow developments in industry practice.

We monitor wastewater quality at tier 1 and tier 2 wet-processing units in our supply chain that have on-site wastewater treatment. Wet-processing units are facilities that use water-based processes such as dyeing, washing, printing or finishing during textile production. This monitoring includes testing discharged wastewater and reviewing wastewater-treatment performance. Results are assessed against the ZDHC Wastewater Guidelines, an industry framework developed by the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals Foundation for testing and evaluating wastewater from textile, apparel and footwear production.

Wastewater test data from supplier facilities in scope is disclosed through industry platforms such as the ZDHC Gateway and Detox.Live. Detox.Live shows supplier wastewater test results based on the ZDHC Wastewater Guidelines.

Using recycled materials can reduce the need for virgin resources but can create challenges for chemical management, including the risk that chemicals from a material’s previous use or production history (legacy substances) may be present in recycled feedstock.

To better understand the risks, H&M Group and IKEA initiated a collaborative study in 2019 on chemical contamination in recycled textiles. The study focused on building knowledge about the potential presence of hazardous chemicals in recycled textiles.

We are also working to better understand how chemical risks may differ depending on recycled feedstocks, production contexts and recycling methods. These differences can affect where controls may be needed, including controls for potential legacy substances already present in the feedstock, as well as chemicals used or introduced during the recycling process and any related wastewater risks.

Microfibres can be released during textile production and when garments are washed. Our work on fibre fragmentation includes participation in industry initiatives, such as The Microfibre Consortium, an industry organisation focused on research and shared approaches to fibre fragmentation and microfibre release, and contribution to research and testing where relevant.
Evidence on the impacts of microfibres on human health and the environment is still developing. Further research is needed to better understand how factors such as fibre content, fabric construction and finishing processes influence fibre fragmentation and potential impacts.

As part of this work, we are a signatory to the Microfibre 2030 Commitment. In 2023, we contributed fabric-level test results to its first progress report.

*The factories we work with are divided and categorised into different tiers. Tier 1 are the companies we do business with directly and work with product manufacture or processing. Companies working with component production and processing tend to fall into tiers 2 to 4, and raw material production usually covers tiers 4 to 6.