2022
Sustainability Disclosure

I am convinced that brands placing sustainability at their core will be better prepared to meet the evolving requirements of customers and legislators, as well as making vital contributions to a better future for the people and the planet”.

Leyla Ertur

Head of Sustainability, H&M Group

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Committed to sustainability reporting

Complementing the Annual and Sustainability Report, the Sustainability Disclosure 2022 provides additional details about the strategy, goals, performance data and policies related to our sustainability work in the past year.

We have a two-decade-long history of reporting our progress on sustainability. We believe that transparency is key to driving sustainable change across our industry – it creates both comparability and accountability, and it empowers customers and businesses alike to make better-informed decisions and choices.

Our intention is, and continues to be, to openly share our progress based on the best available data, and to improve our level of disclosure each year.

Key sustainability figures 2022

absolute reduction in scope 3 GHG emissions ^1,2 and 8% absolute reduction in scope 1 & 2 GHG emissions³, compared with 2019 baseline

Launched a new

Water Strategy 2030

and reduced relative water consumption per product by 38% compared to a 2017 baseline⁴

recycled or other more sustainably sourced materials in our commercial goods

of our tier 1 supplier factories have trade union representation (37% in 2021) and 34% have collective bargaining agreements in place (27% in 2021), despite the challenges faced by unions

Reached more than

supply chain workers with activities and training on gender-based violence and sexual harassment (GBVH)

absolute reduction of plastic packaging compared to 2018 baseline, achieving our plastic reduction target ahead of time

recycled materials in our commercial goods, up from 18% in 2021 and taking us closer to our goal of 30% by 2025

Contributed

SEK 1 million

to community investment initiatives, reaching 745,517 beneficiaries

Excluding use-phase emissions
Compared to last year this is a decrease of 248 kilotonnes driven by decreased stock-in-trade as well as increased energy efficiency, share of renewable energy, and share of recycled material
Compared to last year this is an increase of 9,270 tonnes CO2e, which is primarily due to us not procuring renewable energy certificates in Russia as we wind down our business in the country, and to some degree sourcing challenges in a few other markets
Driven by a 21% water recycling rate and 21% improvement in relative water efficiency

Our brands’ sustainability initiatives

Our brands continuously work on incorporating and testing out new innovative initiatives on customer level. Here are a few from the past year we’re especially proud of.

Creating collections using Circulator

Circulator, our own product development tool, helps our teams understand the impact of their decisions and develop products that are fit for a circular fashion economy. Some of our brands that have utilised Circulator recently are: & Other Stories, Monki, and H&M with the Cherish Waste and Metaverse collections.

Jeans Redesign

Three of our brands created denim collections following the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Jeans Redesign guidelines. H&M’s “Let’s Make Better Denim” and Monki’s first denim collection designed for circularity were released. Weekday is scaling use of the guidelines across its assortment, including approximately 40% of its SS23 denim. All these products are designed to be used more, made to be made again, and made from safe and recycled or renewable inputs.

Recycled and reused materials

- Our brands continue to produce collections made from recycled materials. & Other Stories produced a capsule collection using 100% recycled mulberry silk made from waste from the production of the silk itself. The brand also released a jewellery collection crafted from recycled sterling silver. The silver was collected through “urban mining”, a process of recovering precious metals from discarded household waste.
- COS launched the Beyond One Life capsule collection, crafted entirely from leftover fabrics from previous COS collections.

Second-hand initiatives

- Monki Pre-Loved is a second-hand area in two key stores in Stockholm running in collaboration with Sellpy and the Monki community. The customers can sell garments through a consignment model.
- Weekday ran curated second-hand offers in four stores in Sweden.
- ARKET launched its ReARKET pilot in Gothenburg, enabling customers to buy and resell products as well.
- COS Resell is a pillar in the broader COS Circular Business Model strategy. Customers can upload and sell their pre-owned COS garments via the Resell platform in the UK and Germany, giving products a second life and supporting the brand’s circularity mission.

Rental services

- & Other Stories partnered with rental marketplace HURR. UK customers can rent a curated selection of & Other Stories collections on the HURR platform or at its pop-up in London.
- H&M expanded its rental service, which is now available in four stores: Stockholm, Amsterdam, Berlin and London and a launch in Antwerp is imminent.
- H&M Home continued its “Rent a Christmas” offers in four cities — Berlin, Paris, London and Stockholm — providing customers with the opportunity to hire festive decorations.

Giving garments a longer life

- H&M launched a collection for newborns, which achieved Cradle2Cradle Gold certification. The garments and accessories are designed for a long life, with adjustable “room to grow” features.
- H&M Take Care is now offered in all global online markets, offering useful tips and products (such as sewing kits and mending patches) to help customers care for their clothes.*
* Take Care products are available in selected markets.

Report archive

Sustainability Disclosure 2022

Sustainability Disclosure 2021

Sustainability Performance Report 2020

Sustainability Performance Report 2019

More reports

Annual and Sustainability Report 2022

This Sustainability Disclosure complements our Annual and Sustainability Report by providing additional detailed information about our sustainability strategy, policies, goals, programmes and performance data.

Read report