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Community development

At H&M Group, we recognise our responsibility to conduct our business in a way that respects the rights of people in communities that may be affected by our operations and activities across the value chain.

Affected communities

We define affected communities as local groups of people living in or near areas that are, or could be, directly or indirectly affected by our value chain activities, including areas where indigenous peoples are present. We aim to promote business practices that support local communities and their development, primarily by driving initiatives that prevent or mitigate potential and actual negative impacts. As our business depends on both the land and the people of these communities – particularly for the production of raw materials – a key focus is to build meaningful relationships and enable communities to have their voices heard through appropriate channels.

We consider the views and interests of people living in affected communities when developing relevant strategies, as part of our work to respect human and land rights.
We collaborate with and seek input and feedback from stakeholders who work closely with rights holders in affected communities. For example, we cooperate with organisations and initiatives such as WaterAid, Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) or Textile Exchange where their work is relevant to specific community-related topics.

At the same time, our business model and strategy are regularly reviewed to address material matters connected to affected communities, including land rights risks. These topics are connected to our work on resource use, pollution prevention and land-related impacts. The purpose of these efforts is to identify and manage risks connected to people, the environment and our business.

Community engagement

At H&M Group, we also want to contribute to community initiatives.

Our community contributions focus on selected initiatives for marginalised or vulnerable groups, as well as selected climate and nature related initiatives. This includes contributions through donations and partnerships with NGOs.

Our voluntary contributions include donations and partnerships with NGOs such as the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Save the Children, among others.

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