H&M supports directly a number of projects in the communities in which we and our supply chain operate. It is through these projects that we can work to address the most relevant issues locally and contribute to positive and sustainable change in communities touched by our operations.
Some of the challenges we face are complex and not always something that we can tackle on our own. We take a clear stand against all use of child labour and, today, incidents of children working in our first-tier supply chain occur rarely. However, as we do not purchase cotton directly, we are not in a position to impose demands on cotton and cottonseed producers.
In 2009, in co-operation with UNICEF, we launched the All for Children project to address the causes of child labour and improve conditions in Indian cotton production. Read more here.
WaterAid is an international NGO that works to improve access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation in the world’s poorest communities. H&M has collaborated with WaterAid since 2002, transforming the lives of over 150,000 of the world’s poorest people by improving access to safe water, hygiene education and sanitation.
Every year, H&M supports WaterAid by selling a specially designed collection. Of the sales generated, 25 percent are donated to WaterAid’s water and sanitation projects in some of the countries where production for H&M takes place: Pakistan, Bangladesh and India. Read more here.
In 2008 H&M and Designers Against AIDS (DAA) joined forces and launched a fashion collection called Fashion Against AIDS (FAA). The aim of the collection is to increase awareness about HIV/AIDS among youth and 25% of sales is donated towards HIV/AIDS prevention projects.
2011 marks the fourth year that H&M and DAA are running FAA. So far, the FAA initiative has raised a total of 42 SEK m (6 million USD), which have been donated to various projects aimed to increase awareness of HIV/AIDS among youth. Read more here.
H&M wants to contribute to lasting improvement for people working in the clothing industry in Bangladesh. Now efforts are being stepped up, with the goal of supporting social development in the long term. Read more here.
For many young people in Bangladesh, a job and an income of their own is not something they can take for granted. Many have no education and they often have to perform simple, monotonous tasks. Since 1999 H&M has been running a sewing school for young people in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.
Each year 100 young people are given an opportunity to train as industrial sewing machinists, and each is guaranteed a job with one of H&M's suppliers when they have finished their training. Sincethe start of the project, a total of 1,122 people have received the training. Read more here.
Following the opening of our first franchise store in Saudi Arabia in 2008, we are in the process of establishing a retail training program for women in the city of Jeddah, together with our franchise partner Alshaya. The centre is aiming to open during Spring 2011 and will promote female employment in Saudi Arabia, particularly in the retail sector. Students who complete the college-based 12-week course will have improved skills that will support their employment opportunities in the retail sector.
High rates of worker absenteeism are an issue for many textile producers in Bangladesh. At the same time, some workers go to work even though they may be feeling unwell. One reason is a lack of knowledge among workers about their rights and correct procedures for any kind of leave.
We are working to raise awareness among workers through initiatives like our Workers Awareness Film Project.
Another reason is that affordable healthcare is often not available if factories do not provide it to workers. A survey we conducted among workers in three factories showed that workers spend over 200 Taka (around USD 2.80) each month on healthcare for themselves and their families – a significant sum for many of them.
As a result of this finding, we have teamed up with USAID’s project, Smiling Sun, and our suppliers to offer healthcare to workers and their families for a low fee of 10 Taka (USD 0.14) at 320 clinics run by Smiling Sun in over 60 Bangladeshi districts. The supplier and H&M will contribute an additional 20 Taka each. The project started in November 2010 and we aim to have 10,000 workers signed up for the program by the end of 2011.
H&M supports and donates money to the international organisation Mentor. This organisation works to prevent the use and abuse of all harmful addictive substances, whether legal or illegal, among children and young people. It focuses mainly on identifying the most promising and proven approaches to preventing drug use and then spreading this knowledge to the organisations that work directly with children and young people in risk areas. Mentor co-operates with the World Health Organization (WHO) and others.
Find out more about Mentor.
H&M sponsors the Swedish horse back riders Malin Baryard-Johnsson and Peder Fredricson. Read more.
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.
Provide fashion for conscious customers
Choose and reward responsible partners
Find out about our sustainability performance in the latest Concious Actions Sustainability Report 2011.
Little time? Take a quick glance through the highlights from 2011.
