Pollution – Microfibres and Chemical Management

Our chemical roadmap focuses on input traceability, policy engagement and transparency — including public wastewater disclosure — as well as the zero discharge of prioritised hazardous chemicals and collaboration on MRSL.

We focus on minimising water pollution and improving wastewater management by ensuring effluent treatment plant functionality and chemical compliance within our supply chain through the implementation of policies and standards.

We work closely with our suppliers to prevent and control the presence of hazardous substances and to ensure the quality of wastewater discharge.

We apply a precautionary approach guided by our chemical roadmap, which focuses on input traceability, progressive public policy engagement and transparency — including public disclosure of wastewater discharge test data — as well as the zero discharge of prioritised hazardous chemicals, adoption of common tools such as the ZDHC MRSL, and the use of best available chemistry.

We first established H&M Group’s Chemical Restrictions List in 1995 and update it regularly. Product safety is verified through frequent third-party testing, with stricter requirements for products intended for babies and children. We have also proactively phased out PFAS and DMF ahead of regulation.

To strengthen our strategic direction, we actively engage in multi-stakeholder initiatives such as the ZDHC Foundation and the Microfibre 2030 Commitment. These collaborations help us stay at the forefront of innovation and best practice, while ensuring our strategy remains resilient and responsive to emerging environmental challenges.

We strive to strengthen wastewater quality compliance by conducting periodic testing of discharged wastewater and assessing the operational effectiveness of effluent treatment processes at tier 1 and tier 2 supplier facilities equipped with on-site effluent treatment plants (ETPs). These activities ensure that wastewater quality is regularly monitored against the ZDHC Wastewater Guidelines, with a focus on priority pollutants.

We have set a target to achieve 100 percent compliance with the ZDHC Wastewater Guidelines (Foundational level) by 2025.

We focus on improving chemical management across our value chain to address environmental and human health hazards.

• Traceability of the inputs of chemicals used in the production of commercial goods.
• Engagement to push for legislation and support public policies that promote progressive chemical management.
• Transparency in sharing information about chemicals with customers.
• Zero discharge of prioritised hazardous chemicals in the supply chain.
• Collaboration to help ensure clean factories that use common tools such as the MRSL.
• Best available chemistry to promote innovation and the development of better chemicals and technologies throughout the supply chain.

We continued our commitment to chemical compliance by applying the AFIRM Restricted Substances List (RSL) and the ZDHC Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL) in our supply chain. Textile and leather suppliers were actively supported in implementing the ZDHC Wastewater Guidelines and Chemical Management System to strengthen product safety and environmental performance. All relevant supplier units within the chemical scope underwent annual wastewater testing, with results publicly disclosed through the Detox Live platform. In addition, suppliers submitted monthly chemical usage data to the ZDHC Gateway Chemical Module, generating InCheck performance reports to monitor chemical use, assess MRSL compliance, and guide the transition to safer alternatives. These actions helped improve traceability and compliance throughout our supply chain.

Restricted chemicals

We were one of the first in the industry to establish a Chemical Restrictions List in 1995, and we’ve been updating it ever since. To make sure our products don’t contain these chemicals, we perform regular tests, which are mostly carried out by third-party laboratories.

Product safety

Our most vulnerable customer groups always come first in our product safety work, with stricter product chemical requirements for babies and children. This includes proactively eliminating hazardous chemicals. For example, we phased out PFAS and DMF ahead of regulatory mandates.

Wastewater compliance

For wastewater discharge, our suppliers are required to comply with ZDHC Wastewater Quality standards, which are often stricter than legal requirements, and to ensure effluent treatment plants are functioning correctly.

Safer chemical alternatives

We share insights and best practices with industry partners to improve product safety, as well as supporting international safety standards through stakeholder dialogues.

Recycled materials and chemicals

Recycled materials are a key element in the circular economy, but increasing their use while keeping hazardous chemicals out of products and production presents a challenge. To tackle this, we initiated a collaborative study on recycled materials with IKEA to gain better knowledge and understanding of the potential risk of hazardous chemicals being present in recycled textiles. We are also deepening our understanding of recycled materials by considering the differences between various production countries and recycling methods such as mechanical and chemical recycling.

Microfibres are released during production and when garments are laundered by customers. We address this across design, production, use and end-of-life, and work with industry partners to accelerate solutions.

There is also an urgent need for further research and a deeper understanding of the potential impacts of microfibres on human health and the environment. This will help provide greater clarity on the key issues and how they relate to, for example, fibre content or finishing processes.

Our approach to microfibres

Microfibres need to be addressed at multiple stages across our value chain, including design, production, use and end-of-life. This is why we collaborate with other stakeholders to identify effective solutions.

We are developing a microfibre roadmap to formalise our current approach, which includes:

• Sharing knowledge and information about microfibres across our supply chain to raise awareness and identify potential solutions.
• Choosing and designing yarns and fabrics that minimise microfibre shedding.
• Researching new production processes and requirements to minimise shedding.

The Microfibre 2030 Commitment

We have signed the industry commitment to work towards zero impact on nature from textile fibre fragmentation by 2030 and contributed fabric-level test results to the first progress report in 2023.

Related Material

Chemical restrictions

Case study: phase-out of perfluorinated compounds (PFC)

H&M´s commitment of  Zero Discharge of Hazardous  Chemical