In April, the Swedish apparel giant launched an event it called World Recycle Week, asking people to drop off their unwanted, used or damaged clothes so the company could recycle or refurbish them. The occasion, promoted by rapper M.I.A., served to amplify the voucher program H&M created in 2013 to provide discounts to customers who donated old clothes.
In addition, the 3,600-store chain sells a “Conscious” collection, made using recycled fabrics and employing more sustainable methods than are typically used to make garments.
So, how ethical is it to buy clothes from H&M? That remains central to the fashion-focused second phase of “Reclaim” ― The Huffington Post’s editorial campaign to document and fight the world’s waste crisis ― which launched earlier this month.
Much has been written about the ethical conundrum H&M shoppers face. Rather than retrace those writers steps, we’ve put together a list of stories worth reading before doing any back-to-school shopping at the fast-fashion giant.