Cotton is the raw material we use the most. H&M’s aim is for all cotton in our range to come from more sustainable sources by 2020 at the latest. That means sources that show consideration for people or the environment and which has less impact than the current impact of conventional cotton. Better Cotton, organic and recycled cotton are types of cotton that we see as the keys to achieving this target.
Our aim is for all our cotton to come from more sustainable sources by 2020.
Cotton is a natural renewable material with many advantages, but also a number of concerns. According to WWF research, it takes an average of 8,500 litres of water to grow one kilo of cotton lint – enough to make one pair of jeans.
Although we do not source any raw materials directly, we are committed to working actively to reduce their impacts.
H&M is actively involved in the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI). The BCI is a long-term multistakeholder initiative that develops and promotes good farm practices, allowing more cotton to be grown while reducing water and chemical use and protecting both working conditions and biodiversity.
The system has established minimum environmental and social requirements for cotton growing. The BCI is not a labelling scheme, nor will it provide Fairtrade or organic cotton. It aims to make all cotton more sustainable. It is a multistakeholder initiative that includes NGOs like WWF, clothing companies, cotton producer groups and trade and industry bodies.
We have been involved with the BCI since its inception in 2004 and are an elected member of the organisation’s council.
We regard the BCI as the key initiative to help us reach our goal of sourcing all cotton in our range from sustainable sources by 2020 at the latest. To assist the transition from trial to implementation phase, H&M invests in farmer training under the BCI system.
Organic cotton is cotton that, among other things, is grown without chemical pesticides or fertilisers. Organic cultivation also reduces the potential negative impact of cotton production on local water quality and biodiversity. The farmer must comply with thel principles and standards for organic farming, and the applicable standards (EC 834/2007 and NOP) do not allow the cotton to be grown using genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
We are the biggest user of organic cotton in the world.
H&M's commitment to organic cotton began as part of our environmental efforts – in 2004 we began including small amounts of certified organic cotton into certain children’s garments. In 2010 we became the number one user of organic cotton worldwide, according to Textile Exchange’s Global Market Report on Sustainable Textiles.
Grown in Turkey, India and China, all our organic cotton is independently certified by accredited certification bodies (Control Union and IMO). Additionally, all factories handling organic cotton products are certified according to the relevant standards, OE 100 and OE Blended.
All our products containing organic cotton have a transaction certificate (TC) issued by a third party certifier (IMO and Control Union), which verifies the content of the organic fibre.
Organic cotton is used in all our clothing divisions (men, women, teenagers, children and home). We offer both 100 percent organic cotton clothes and blended organic garments containing a mix of organic and conventional cotton. Garments are labelled accordingly to help our customers to make an informed choice.
Recycled cotton is cotton made from textile remnants in production. These are ground into fibre, spun into new yarns and woven into new fabrics. Independent third party certification usually follows the Global Recycling Standard (GRS).
Benefits of recycled cotton:
By gradually increasing the use of recycled materials we can strengthen the market and support further innovations. At the same time, we continue to learn how to work with these materials and help to minimise environmental impacts.
Our audit programme focuses on all of our first-tier suppliers and their subcontractors, such as washing or dyeing units. But we rarely have any direct influence on raw material production such as cotton. To ensure that the cotton included in our fashion meets sustainability standards, we put a lot of effort into making the entire textile value chain more traceable and transparent.
Karl-Johan Persson, CEO gives his opinion on H&M's sustain-ability program. Click here
Watch videos about our sustainability work. Click here
A few case studies on some of the work we do. Click here
H&M has defined seven ambitious commitments on sustainability which we work hard every day to achieve.
1 - Provide fashion for conscious customers
2 - Choose and reward responsible partners
Find out about our sustainability performance in the latest Concious Actions Sustainability Report 2012.
Little time? Take a quick glance through the highlights from 2012.
