H&M boasts a team of dedicated sustainability experts working across its brands to achieve their environmental goals.

The company’s progress report, the “Sustainability Disclosure” published in March 2024, details their achievements, challenges, and future focus. This success is attributed to both the central sustainability department and the brand-specific expert teams. Let’s meet some of these experts and hear about their proudest accomplishments.

Karin Brinck, Sustainability Manager at H&M:
“Reaching 85% recycled or sustainably sourced materials in our full assortment by 2023 is a huge achievement. This allows our global customers to make sustainable choices without sacrificing design or affordability. I’m also proud of our role in driving industry-wide change by supporting companies developing new recycling technologies and lower-impact processes like dyeing and washing.“

Parisa Golshekan, Sustainability Business Expert at COS:
“There’s so much to celebrate, but a few highlights stand out. The progress on our supply chain’s Gender Equality Strategy inspires me. The community investment projects in Türkiye and Bangladesh, impacting countless women, men, and families, are truly impactful. Additionally, testing and scaling circular business models like COS Resell, Full Circle, and Restore allows us to decouple growth from resource use while learning and improving these services for our customers. The positive customer response is fantastic! We’re also thrilled to have reached 95% sustainably sourced materials in our collection.“

Ulrika Jakobsson, Sustainability Manager at Weekday & Monki:
“Our progress towards a circular fashion business is commendable. We’ve expanded our resell concept, allowing customers to buy and sell pre-loved items, with over 20% of Weekday stores now offering ‘Weekday Curated 2nd-hand.’ Weekday jeans in the AW23 collection followed the Jeans Redesign guidelines by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and Monki has created several capsule collections using our circular design principles – all important steps towards a circular economy.“

Cecilia McNeil, Sustainability Manager at & Other Stories:
“Reaching 90% recycled or sustainably sourced materials in our collections puts us well on track for our 100% by 2030 goal. We’re proud to use innovative materials like regenerative wool from NATIVA™ and recycled silver recovered through urban mining in Denmark. Collaborations with creatives in sustainability, such as textile artist Sindiso Khumalo, and partnerships like supporting UN Women’s Second Chance Education Programme in India through UN Women Sweden, further showcase our commitment.“

Related Article: H&M Group and Vargas Holding Launch Syre, a Joint Venture to Revolutionize Textile Recycling

Sofia Snöborgs Tüll, Head of Production & Sustainability at ARKET:
“Sustainability has always been core to ARKET’s mission, and I’m incredibly proud of everyone’s dedication. We’re strengthening our foundation in quality and longevity while progressing towards circularity through recycled/reused materials and circular business models. Close collaboration with our suppliers is crucial for industry-wide impact. We have a lot of work ahead, leading the textile industry towards circular models, reducing emissions, and finding more sustainable energy and water usage technologies.“