At H&M Group, we are working hard to reduce our climate impact. To do this, we need to become a circular business, maximising the value of products and resources by reusing and repairing them as much as possible before finally recycling them.
Our circular strategy
We work extensively with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF), a charity leading global efforts to shift to a circular economy. Our circular strategy supports EMF’s vision for a circular economy and covers all parts of our business including:
- Products and customer offerings.
- Supply chain
- Non-commercial goods, such as packaging and items used in-store interiors, offices and distribution centres.
To have the biggest impact, we will build on the connections between these areas, work collaboratively and integrate circularity into everything we do.
A circular ecosystem
We aim to create a circular ecosystem, which will help us to achieve net-zero and have a net positive impact on biodiversity.
Circular products:
Create products that are made to last, from safe, recycled and sustainably sourced materials and that can be repaired, reused and remade multiple times.
Circular supply chains:
Help build supply chains that keep products in circulation and support circular production processes and material flows.
Circular customer journeys:
Make it easy for our customers to experience and engage in a circular fashion where products are used more, repaired, reused and recycled.
By changing how we make and use products, we can keep products and resources circulating around the multiple loops of our ecosystem for longer.
The Circulator – how we’re designing more circular products
As part of our efforts to become more circular, we are changing the way we develop our products. The Circulator is a new approach that helps our product teams understand the impact of their decisions, make better choices and develop products that are fit for a circular fashion economy.
We hope to use the Circulator to develop all our products by 2025. Click on the image to find out more about our ambitions, our approach and download the guide for yourself.
Grounded in science
We funded a report to look at how circularity could help the fashion industry operate in a way that keeps our planet within safe limits. Stockholm Resilience Centre worked with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation on the research that resulted in a list of six targets for a sustainable textile industry. We will use these targets to guide our goal setting and plans, as well as sharing the findings with the wider fashion industry.
Creating lasting change
One company can’t change an entire industry alone. To make a lasting difference on a large scale, we all need to work together. That’s why we’re teaming up with businesses, advocacy organizations and policymakers.
Here are some of our partners:
- We work closely with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation on several initiatives including Make Fashion Circular Initiative and New Plastics Economy Global Commitment.
- Along with other leading global fashion and textile companies, we’ve committed to Fashion Pact’s goals on climate, biodiversity and oceans.
- We signed Global Fashion Agenda’s 2020 Commitment to express our ambition to build circularity into every product’s design and we’ve joined its Circular Fashion Partnership.
- circular.fashion supports us in circular product design and we work together on standardising digital product passports for circularity.
- We support legislation that advances a circular fashion industry. In 2020, we engaged with Swedish Government officials to advocate for impactful policy on chemicals content.
- We petitioned the German Government to ensure efficient garment collecting legislation.
- We participated in European Union (EU) consultations on textile strategy, energy-efficient building requirements and circular economy.
Speeding up the shift to a circular economy
Find out how we are working with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to apply the principals of a circular economy across H&M Group.
