Fashion company H&M is to launch a worldwide clothing collecting initiative in a bid to reduce the environmental impact of garments throughout their lifecycle.
From February 2013, customers will be able to hand in used items of clothing in H&M stores in all 48 markets.
H&M claims it will be the first fashion company to roll out clothes collecting in selected stores worldwide. Through the global initiative it says 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.
“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.
Every year thousands of tonnes of textiles are disposed of in landfill. As much as 95% of these clothes could be used again; re-worn, reused or recycled - depending on the state of the garment says H&M. Long-term the firm wants to reduce the environmental impact of garments throughout the lifecycle and create a closed loop for textile fibres. It aims to find technical solutions to reuse and recycle textile fibres on a larger scale and has established the Conscious Foundation to support innovation on closing the loop on textiles and social projects along H&M’s value chain.