H&M’s recycling efforts lead to much controversy
In remembrance of the Rana Plaza Tragedy, H&M had taken up an initiative called the ‘World Recycle Week’. Apart from producing Conscious collection made using sustainable and recycled materials H&M under this project has kicked off a major plan to collect 1,000 tons of used clothes.
These efforts sound great, but experts related to the idea of sustainability have questioned how much they actually mitigate the massive and growing company’s environmental impact. Some suggest these fidelity towards sustainability are “green washing,” distracting from the extent of the harm the company does, and even boosting sales.
H&M produces a giant pile of clothing almost every day. The Swedish retailer is one of the largest fashion brands in the world in terms of sales volume. It’s staggering to consider: The quantity of cheap t-shirts, jeans, dresses, jackets, and everything else it produces and sells reaches to about US$25 billion in global sales, approximately.
To grow the materials, dye and finish them with chemicals, manufacture, and ship all those clothes puts a tremendous strain on the environment and consumes vast resources. That volume is the primary sustainability challenge H&M faces, and they are aware of the same. It also wants to make sure shoppers are aware of their efforts, by promoting the same through extensive marketing.
Greenpeace, which has lauded H&M for being the first fashion brand to eliminate PFC chemicals from its products, also criticized the recycling campaign. Greenpeace has remarked that H&M’s Recycling Week is in reality a week of illusions since only one percent of collected clothing can be used as recycled fibers. But going by the present manufaturing and recycling standards, it would likely take H&M up to 12 years to use just 1,000 tons of clothing waste. Meanwhile, it produces that same volume of new clothes in a matter of days.
If nothing else, H&M is at least shouldering the burden of keeping that clothing out of landfills. Since 2013, the company says it has collected more than 25,000 tons of textile waste. While it can’t recycle it all now, it says it is looking for ways to do so in the long-term. Last year too, it partnered with a recycling technology company called Worn Again, and launched a contest looking for innovative ideas.
Also looking in the company’s favour, H&M has increased their share of sourced sustainable raw materials to 20% last year, up from 14% the year before. It reduced its total emissions 56% compared to 2014, and has proved that it will act to clean up the factories it sources from in China. And it argues that all those clothes it sells offer economic benefits to millions.
On the one hand when the brand is applauded for their sustainable ways, on the other hand they end up producing massive volumes of cheap, easily disposable clothing. Which ultimately leads it to more troubled water, clearing which off is definitely not an easy step for the company.
