Can a clothing company save clothes from landfill?

H&M Conscious: The Breakup – a story about garment life-cycle from H&M.

Wardrobe waste

In the UK, the value of unused clothing in wardrobes has been estimated at around £30 billion. It is also estimated £140 million worth of clothing goes into landfill each year. In fact, during 2015, greenhouse gas emissions from textiles production globally totalled more than the emissions of all international flights and shipping combined.

Garment Collection

H&M’s Garment Collecting programme is a global initiative that works to prevent customers unwanted clothes from going to landfill. They encourage customers to bring in unwanted clothes by any brand, in any condition, at any of their stores, every single day of the year. Simply drop your bag of unwanted clothing in the recycling box at your local store and receive a £5 voucher to use towards your next purchase. The best part? All clothes collected by H&M are either reused, re-worn or recycled with 0% going to landfill.

From pineapple leaves to oranges

Every year, H&M unveils its Conscious Exclusive Collection, a concept they launched in 2010 as a way of championing stylish designs with minimal environmental impact. This year, H&M has taken things one step further with a collection that uses two new unconventional materials to lower the carbon footprint of its clothes. These include Piñatex®, a leather alternative made from pineapple leaves and Orange Fiber, which is made from the citrus fruit’s peel.

This story shows how H&M supports Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, specifically Target 12.5: “By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse.”

About H&M

Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) is a Swedish, multinational, clothing-retail company known for its fast-fashion clothing for men, women, teenagers, and children. As one of the largest global clothing retailers, H&M operates in 62 countries with over 4,500 stores.

Learn more about H&M.