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H&M Group has made significant strides toward reaching its sustainability goals. At least according to the company’s 2024 sustainability report.
The fast fashion giant reported that 89 percent of the materials it used in 2024 were either recycled or sustainably sourced. And the share of recycled materials almost reached the company’s 2025 target of 30 percent, coming in at 29.5 percent.
“We remain fully committed to our ambitious sustainability agenda,” said Leyla Ertur, sustainability director, H&M Group. “We are on track to achieve our goal for all our materials to be either recycled or sustainably sourced no later than 2030, and we almost reached our 30 percent goal for recycled materials by 2025 a year ahead of schedule.”
The parent company of H&M, Cos, Weekday and other brands also reported a 41 percent reduction of Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions and a 24 percent reduction in Scope 3 emissions compared to 2019 numbers. H&M Group also saw a 9.5 percent drop in freshwater consumption in garment suppliers compared to 2022, nearly reaching the company’s 10 percent target a year early.
The report also noted that the number of tier 1 and 2 garment suppliers using on-site coal boilers decreased to 27 factories from 46 in 2023 and 118 in 2022. H&M Group said it would include tier 3 in its scope going forward with the goal of completely phasing out coal-burning factories by 2026.
“Our efforts to use less and cleaner energy across our supply chain are also delivering strong results in our decarbonization journey, aligned with our science-based targets,” Ertur said. “We are aware of the challenges ahead of us and we remain confident that we are on course to fulfill our sustainability agenda in the years to come.”
Fast fashion brands such as H&M have been criticized in recent years for their contribution to garment waste and negative environmental impacts due to the overproduction of inexpensive clothing that’s often deemed disposable. H&M Group has attempted to counteract that through resale programs that allow consumers to shop gently used items at a discounted rate. According to the report, 26 markets now have access to second-hand items, available in 38 selected H&M Group stores worldwide.
The company also has worked to reduce its packaging waste, reducing plastic packaging by 54 percent since 2018 and surpassing its 25 percent by 2025 goal. H&M Group also noted in the sustainability report that it renewed its Global Framework Agreement with IndustriALL Global Union and Swedish trade union IF Metall, protecting the interests of more than one million workers.
“I am proud of the steps we have taken to demonstrate that exceptional design and sustainable solutions go hand-in-hand with our purpose to liberate fashion for the many,” said Daniel Ervér, CEO H&M Group. ‘Sustainability is a key priority for us, fundamental to how we operate and essential for our long-term success. This report shows the result of the work of thousands of passionate colleagues around the world, united not only by our love for fashion and design, but also by our deep commitment to using our power and scale to push the fashion industry towards a more inclusive and sustainable future.”
