H&M is taking one more step toward building a truly sustainable fast-fashion business. On Tuesday, the Swedish retailer announced it will share its list of factories and suppliers for items sold on the website, including the majority of the home items.
What does this mean? According to the press release, H&M will share details such as production country, supplier names, factory names and addresses as well as the number of factory workers. Plus, interested customers will be able to obtain information about the specific garments used to make the products, with the hopes that shoppers will be able to make more informed purchasing decisions.
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Now, as of April 23, H&M’s 47 online markets will provide this information. Customers shopping in a physical store will also be able to see the garment's history via the H&M app by scanning a price tag.
“We are so proud to be the first global fashion retailer of our size and scale to launch this level of product transparency,” Isak Roth, Head of Sustainability at H&M said in the same press release. “We want to show the world that this is possible. By being open and transparent about where our products are made we hope to set the bar for our industry and encourage customers to make more sustainable choices. With transparency comes responsibility, making transparency such an important factor to help create a more sustainable fashion industry.”
H&M is already incredibly vocal about the work its doing with its Conscious line. They’ve released 8 collections in total since 2010, and the most recent offering features 48 clothing items constructed from plant-based materials.