From next February, customers will be able to hand in used garments in selected H&M stores in all 48 of the retailer’s markets.

Under the scheme, any item of clothing, from any brand and in any condition, will be accepted. In return, the customer will receive a voucher for each bag brought in.

The textiles will be collected and processed by H&M’s partner, I:Collect, who also has its own reprocessing infrastructure base.

The new initiative is part of a wider strategy at H&M to reduce the environmental impact of clothes throughout their lifecycle.

Long-term, H&M is seeking to create a closed loop for textile fibres by finding technical solutions to reuse and recycle textile fibres on a larger scale.

To this end, the retailer has set up its Conscious Foundation to support innovation on closing the loop on textiles and social projects along the value chain.

H&M CEO Karl-Johan Persson said the company’s sustainability efforts are rooted in a dedication to social and environmental responsibility
.
“We want to do good for the environment, which is why we are now offering our customers a convenient solution – to be able to leave their worn out or defective garments with H&M,” he explains.

Maxine Perella

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