H&M Foundation Collaborates With Global Fashion Agenda to Amp Up Circularity
The H&M Foundation has partnered with nonprofit Global Fashion Agenda to support textile circularity initiatives in Cambodia, Vietnam, Turkey and Indonesia through the Global Circular Fashion Forum. As part of the agreement, the H&M Foundation committed 5 million EUR to the cause.
The Global Circular Fashion Forum has worked since 2022 to accelerate and scale recycling of post-industrial textile waste in fashion-producing countries. As of November 2023, the organization and its Circular Fashion Partnerships in Bangladesh and Cambodia have recycled 10,685 metric tons of textile waste, an equivalent of around 60 million t-shirts. The partnerships include some 179 manufacturers, 15 waste handlers and 22 recyclers.
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“This landmark partnership with H&M Foundation will enable Global Fashion Agenda to significantly expand its impact work, which is centered around our vision of a creating net positive fashion industry,” said Federica Marchionni, CEO, GFA. “Together we can converge, collaborate, and chart a course towards a socially just circular fashion industry that turns textile waste into value, minimizes the production of virgin materials, and aligns with the 1.5-degree pathway.”
To do that, the H&M Foundation plans to support the Global Fashion Agenda and its partners across three objectives:
Mobilizing the industry to commit to producing and using recycled materials with a lower carbon impact.
Facilitating knowledge exchange across countries and regions by developing supportive publications and tools.
Enabling the realization of locally owned and led National Circular Fashion Partnerships in additional manufacturing countries while fostering multi-stakeholder efforts to establishing and scaling infrastructures for post-industrial waste recycling.
Over the past decade, H&M has come under fire by critics of fast fashion for its role in contributing to clothing and textile waste. But in recent years, the company has made a concerted effort toward more sustainable, circular practices. The Swedish retailer recently announced plans to purchase $600 million worth of recycled polyester over the next seven years as part of a new textile-to-textile recycling project called Syre.
The company also recently partnered with New York-based designer Heron Preston to launch H2, a “circular innovation program underscored by a joint commitment to closing the loop.” And H&M Group also announced plans to test Deven Supercritical’s Suprauno technology, which will allow it to replace conventional chemical-driven dye processes, reducing water, energy and chemical use.
And through its H&M Foundation—which is privately funded by the Stefan Persson family, founders and main owners of the H&M Group—the company offers financial backing to sustainability initiatives like the Global Fashion Agenda and the Global Circular Fashion Forum.
“Working towards greater circularity and impactful change in the textile industry requires bringing together diverse stakeholders across the entire value chain,” said Christiane Dolva, strategy lead, H&M. “This is why we’re incredibly proud and excited to join forces with the Global Fashion Agenda. Together we’re putting the pieces in place to create a self-sufficient infrastructure that endures far beyond the scope of this partnership.”
