H&M Launches First Clothing Recycling Program

H&M is the first fashion company to launch a clothing collecting initiative worldwide. Starting in February 2013, customers will be able to drop off used garments in H&M stores worldwide. Sustainability is an important part of H&M's offering, and H&M strives to reduce the environmental impact of clothes throughout their lifecycle.

"Our sustainability efforts are rooted in a dedication to social and environmental responsibility. We want to do good for the environment, which is why we are now offering our customers a convenient solution: to be able to leave their worn out or defective garments with H&M, " says Karl-Johan Persson, CEO H&M.

H&M will be the first fashion company to roll out clothes collecting in selected stores worldwide. Through the global initiative H&M's customers can save natural resources and contribute to reduced environmental impact by avoiding textile waste. Any pieces of clothing, from any brand and in any condition are accepted. In return, the customer will receive a voucher for each bag brought. The collected clothes are then handled by H&M's partner, I:Collect, which provides the infrastructure in which consumer goods are repeatedly reprocessed and made available for new use.

Every year tonnes of textiles are thrown out with domestic waste and end up in landfill. As much as 95 percent of these clothes could be used again; re-worn, reused or recycled - depending on the state of the garment.  Long-term, H&M wants to reduce the environmental impact of garments throughout the lifecycle and create a closed loop for textile fibres. The aim is to find technical solutions to reuse and recycle textile fibres on a larger scale, which is why H&M has set up its Conscious Foundation: to support innovation on closing the loop on textiles and social projects along H&M's value chain.