H&M is constituent to an number of sustainability indexes and listed in various independent rankings. We also engage with various stakeholders on a regular basis. See here where we stand in indexes and ranking and hear some of our stakeholder's voices.
H&M is constituent to an number of sustainability indexes and listed in various independent rankings. Please see some of them below.
H&M is being named as one of 2013 World's Most Ethical Companies. Ethisphere’s annual list of the World’s Most Ethical Companies (WME) recognizes companies that truly go beyond making statements about doing business ethically by translating those words into actions.
SOURCE is a platform of tools and services for the fashion and textiles industries, from field to final product. It aims to make it easy for fashion professionals and businesses to work sustainably, inspire and motivate members, facilitate research and industry collaboration and put the spotlight on best practice. In 2012 H&M was one of the finalists in the SOURCE Awards, the Global Awards for Sustainable Fashion - recognising excellence in fashion and sustainability across 12 different categories.
H&M has been included to the prestigious Dow Jones Sustainability Index World in 2012. The index lists the most sustainable companies per sector based on an extensive annual assessment conducted by the independent asset managers at SAM.
H&M has been independently assessed according to the FTSE4Good criteria and has satisfied requirements to become a constituent of the FTSE4Good Index Series. Created by the global index company FTSE Group, FTSE4Good is an equity index series that is designed to facilitate investment in companies that meet globally recognised corporate responsibility standards. Companies in the FTSE4Good Index Series have met stringent social and environmental criteria and are positioned to capitalize on the benefits of responsible business practices.
H&M is listed in the Global 100 List of the most sustainable corporations in the world since 2008. This annual project is initiated by Corporate Knights with the aim was to highlight the global corporations which have been most proactive in managing environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. Launched in 2005, the annual Global 100 is announced each year during the World Economic Forum in Davos.
H&M has been evaluated by OEKOM in 2010 the latest and was recognised with the Prime Status. Oekom research awards Prime Status to those companies which according to the oekom Corporate Rating are among the leaders in their industry and which meet industry-specific minimum requirements. The oekom Prime Logo stands for above-average commitment to environmental and social issues.
During 2011, various European consumer magazines published a joint test on working conditions and environmental impacts in the production of denim for several brands.The test included both, a thorough analysis of company policies as well as independent audits at the production sites. H&M reached the highest scores of all tested companies. Here you can find the results published in the Swedish magazine Råd & Rön.
H&M is listed in the Newsweek Green Ranking among the 250 most sustainable companies in the world (2011: rank 170). The ranking is annually produced by the magazine Newsweek in collaboration with leading environmental research organizations.
In 2011, H&M has been awarded with the gold medal in the survey Sustainable Retail Company 2011 by the renowned German consumer organisation Verbraucher Initiative. The study was supported by the German Ministry for Environment and the German Environmental Agency. Various retailers were included in the survey and 27 of them were awarded for their CSR work. Including H&M, seven companies received the gold medal for very strong engagement in CSR.
We have a regular dialogue with our stakeholders. Here you can read some of their comments on our sustainability work.
“H&M is one of the first international buyers participating in the programme and using its assessment, advisory and training services. International buyers such as H&M have, through their engagement, committed to be part of the solution in improving working conditions. This is not only occasionally, when there are crisis situations, but long-term support for building of sustainable enterprises. H&M can help address problems of today, as well as helping to overcome Cambodia’s often confrontational industrial relations, and work towards providing a better future for workers, factories and consumers alike.”
"H&M collaborates closely with FLA to ensure compliance throughout its supply chain across the globe - especially in China. H&M has been accredited by FLA because its workplace standards program is substantially in compliance with the FLA Code and H&M consistently demonstrates its commitment to improving working conditions. H&M has taken the lead on several vital issues, working with FLA staff to pilot its worker participation training (WPT) program - which measures the impact of compliance and noncompliance on factory workers and management. In 2010, an H&M supplier factory launched a WPT in collaboration with FLA. Over the course of three training sessions, worker representatives, factory-level management and group company management discussed communication and dialogue within the factory, the importance of worker representatives, problem identification and root-cause analysis, effective training methods, negotiation techniques, and problem solving and conflict resolution methods.
"H&M consistently demonstrates its commitment to improving working conditions."
FLA asked training participants to submit progress reports to focus the factory throughout the duration of the program. Following the training period, the factory entered its implementation and progress tracking phase, during which workers and management have the opportunity to apply the lessons learned in training, communicate the training to the rest of the workforce, implement improvements, and practice the new skills learned. The information collected in this phase allowed both H&M and FLA to examine the actual changes in the policies, procedures and practices within the factory, and work with the factory to address negative feedback and problem areas. According to the workers and management, the program has improved worker-management communication; helped workers’ voices be heard regarding policies and changes; and improved grievance procedures. There are also areas for improvement, and I’m confident that H&M will work with the factory to ensure continuous progress."
"I am delighted to see that H&M continues to support WaterAid's work in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan as they have done for over nine years. H&M is one of WaterAid's long standing corporate supporters. We applaud it's sustainability focus and community investment efforts. H&M's support has helped over 150,000 people gain access to clean water, improved sanitation and hygiene. We thank HM for continuing to improve the lives of some of the world's poorest people and joining in our efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals."
"The essence of the partnership between H&M and UNICEF is corporate philanthropy, demonstrating H&M’s commitment to social issues. Since 2004 H&M has funded UNICEF’s work for children in a number of countries through donations and Cause Related Marketing campaigns. We are especially proud of their US$4.5 million investment in a five-year programme partnership to support children from vulnerable families in the state of Tamil Nadu in India, including those working in cotton fields. This funding will help build a protective environment for these communities promoting children’s rights to health, nutrition, education, and protection against abuse and exploitation and so tackle the source of child labour. The social impacts resulting from H&M’s investment will improve the lives and futures of these children and the communities in which they live.”
"It´s time, Bangladesh gets branded as an ethical trading partner. With the rising exports, with the growing demands on the value added products and above all, with the possibility of H&M positioning itself in Bangladesh stronger than ever before, we, the suppliers, must widen our focus and work for social uplifting for our workforce voluntarily. The need to adress the workers` requirements cannot be stalled anymore and as owners we must comply with our personal commitments in this regard. Through our participation in the social dialogue project, I strongly believe that we will contribute to the overall image of the sector and will also be able to meaningfully pioneer issues towards attainment of social justice and good social practices within the framework of the corporate entities and stabilize the dialogue between the management and the workers."
"I have been growing cotton for nearly 40 years. We used spray our twenty hectares with pesticides that killed even the snakes; after the treatments we didn’t feel well. We used to spray every two weeks, without any field observation first. I used an average of 120 litres of pesticides, costing me about 825 Euros. Since starting the Better Cotton program in 2010 we have significantly reduced our pesticide use which increases our profits and is better for our health and our environment."
"By committing to "detox" its supply chain, H&M is not only setting the trend for this season and the future; it also sends a clear message to other brands that using toxic chemicals to make our clothing is no longer in vogue. H&M's landmark commitment has the potential to be a catalyst for wider change across the fashion industry. H&M must now use its size and influence to lead the entire fashion industry towards a toxic-free future, by working with other committed brands to bring about cross-industry and systemic change."
“H&M’s world-leading use of organic cotton continues to drive demand. This supports cotton farmers, encourages innovation and with its fashion forward Conscious Collections, H&M lifts more sustainable fashion to scale.”
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.
