Executive Summary: H&M Conscious Actions and Sustainability Report 2011
H&M Conscious Actions and Sustainability Report 2011:
Executive Summary
This report was completed to focus on multi-national retail company, H&M, and their quest for producing high-quality production while aiming to achieve sustainability and environmentally conscious goals. H&M is valued for their quality fashion while still providing affordability to consumers. They partake business in 43 different countries on 4 separate continents and have about 8.7 million Facebook fans as of 2011. With such widespread recognition and success internationally, H&M serves as a leading example for competing retailers to follow. H&M has made it their mission to provide consumers with the best products by engaging in conscious actions, or better known as “H&M Conscious”. CEO, Karl-Johan Persson, further explains this concept by stating that, “Our vision is clear: All our operations should be run in a way that is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable”. H&M Conscious consists of a 7-step strategy to: (1) provide fashion for conscious customers, (2) choose and reward responsible partners, (3) be ethical, (4) be climate smart, (5) reduce, reuse, and recycle, (6) use natural resources responsibly, and (7) strengthen communities.
H&M not only aims to deliver quality, but to also address their consumers’ increased involvement in being ecologically and socially responsible. They have united with labeling system, Ginetex, in order to accompany garments with tags that explain climate-safe techniques to washing clothes. Following these suggested garment-care procedures can save up to 50% of energy usage. Organic cotton was introduced to the brand in 2004 in order to reduce negative environmental impact and to improve farmers’ conditions. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) conducted studies that showed how organic cotton reduces pesticide usage by 32-81%, saves water by 32-49% and increases net profit for farmers by 15-20%. H&M is now the
Executive Summary
This report was completed to focus on multi-national retail company, H&M, and their quest for producing high-quality production while aiming to achieve sustainability and environmentally conscious goals. H&M is valued for their quality fashion while still providing affordability to consumers. They partake business in 43 different countries on 4 separate continents and have about 8.7 million Facebook fans as of 2011. With such widespread recognition and success internationally, H&M serves as a leading example for competing retailers to follow. H&M has made it their mission to provide consumers with the best products by engaging in conscious actions, or better known as “H&M Conscious”. CEO, Karl-Johan Persson, further explains this concept by stating that, “Our vision is clear: All our operations should be run in a way that is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable”. H&M Conscious consists of a 7-step strategy to: (1) provide fashion for conscious customers, (2) choose and reward responsible partners, (3) be ethical, (4) be climate smart, (5) reduce, reuse, and recycle, (6) use natural resources responsibly, and (7) strengthen communities.
H&M not only aims to deliver quality, but to also address their consumers’ increased involvement in being ecologically and socially responsible. They have united with labeling system, Ginetex, in order to accompany garments with tags that explain climate-safe techniques to washing clothes. Following these suggested garment-care procedures can save up to 50% of energy usage. Organic cotton was introduced to the brand in 2004 in order to reduce negative environmental impact and to improve farmers’ conditions. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) conducted studies that showed how organic cotton reduces pesticide usage by 32-81%, saves water by 32-49% and increases net profit for farmers by 15-20%. H&M is now the