H&M Recycling: Sustainable Fashion Trends and Business Strategies

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of H&M's recycling initiatives and its broader commitment to sustainable fashion practices. It begins with a background on H&M, highlighting its evolution as a global fashion brand and its business model. The report then delves into H&M's efforts in corporate social responsibility, emphasizing the 'Conscious Collection' and its collaboration with I:Collect for textile recycling. It examines the company's partnerships with stakeholders and its approach to sustainable product development, including the concept of 'slow fashion.' The report also presents an interview with an H&M employee, offering insights into the company's recycling program and its impact on consumer behavior. It also discusses the challenges within the sustainable supply chain, the importance of consumer buying decisions, and the global impact of the textile industry. The report concludes by emphasizing the role of government and manufacturers in promoting recycled products and sustainable practices.

Running head: H&M RECYCLING
H&M Recycling
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Brief background about H&M clothing company
H&M, one of Sweden’s leading and most successful fashion brands has gained
recognition for its trend-led young fashions as well as sell-out designer teamwork. The
company occupied a prestigious position on the Stockholm stock exchange list in 1974,
whereby its name received an abbreviation of H&M, as been known in recent times. Since
then, H&M has been evolving into a global brand and further enhancing its brand recognition
with over 3,500 stores and responsible for delivering the latest and most unique fashion
trends across the world (H&M group, 2018). H&M being the world’s second leading retailer
organization catering in the clothing business, following Zara but surpassing Gap Inc, H&M
has successfully established and preserved massive reliability and success across its customer
base through 67 years of its existence. The business conceptualization implemented by H&M
is “Fashion and quality at the best price.” However, the company comprises of design and
purchase department that produces the best designs and collections of H&M further
facilitating to serve the most trend setting clothes. However, a number of measures in recent
times have been introduced in order secure and further enhance the quality level of the
products and by contracting the quality standards, the company has further succeeded in
effectively evolving and increasing the numbers of its suppliers and distributors (Siegle.
2013). The market share of the company has risen up to 3% in 2017 but has further lost its
position whereby it has been affected by the advent of digital shopping supporting its
business framework of introducing increased rate of physical stores.
H&M encouraging Sustainable Fashion Trends
In recent times, H&M has been putting considerable level of efforts on its Corporate
Social Responsibility, specifically associated with the environmental aspect. The company

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has been underpinning its consumer base to promote recycle, raise the usage of recycled or
processed polyester products for production and further condensing its rate of carbon
emission (H&M group, 2018). 2011 has been marked as a year for H&M where it has
initiated its ‘Conscious Collection” that is regarded as a fashion line of clothing that is
generated via sustainable practices such as the usage of organic cotton fabric as well as
recycled materials. It has been noted that H&M is accountable for selling contributed or
donated clothes to I: Collect, a Swiss-based reprocessed startup company whereby it is based
on producing rather than beating a product such as introduction of the voucher incentives
along with a non-profit creating endeavor (Siegle. 2013). Furthermore, revenues are
anticipated to rise towards the covering of running expenditure of H&M. The company has
been producing increasing number of sustainable or recycled clothing products further
monitoring the resource level of the world (Pookulangara, Shephard & Liu, 2016). The
immense progress in technological factors have enormously facilitated the fashion retail
industry where the fact lies to the dedication and commitment of controlling system textile
sustainable at present remains a significant comment towards its customer base. H&M, in
order to inspire its buyers to grow their inclination towards environmental accountable
preferences is encouraging them to choose recycling procedures (Kant Hvass, 2014).
H&M Collaboration with stakeholders to deal with challenges
Over the decades, effective partnership has become increasingly significant to the
company’s sustainable activities. It has been critical throughout this strategy as well as goal-
establishing procedures and will be significant factors in order to attaining the vision of the
company in the following years (Siegle. 2013). However, H&M has been successfully
performing with kind of associates as well as innovators who will be able to approach
effective work which incorporates other fashion brands, international trade unions,

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intellectuals, observers along with ILO, Sida,WWF, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and
alike (Preuit, 2016).
Gaining a New Outlook to Sustainable Product Development
Sustainable approach towards production and marketing not only decreases the
environmental concern but also brings variety in the production process by improving the
design and quality of products. Sustainable approach and recycling are intricately associated
with ethics and long-term environmental development. In a globalized and first paced world,
however, sustainable approach towards fashion and business is often considered somewhat
stunted and slow (Armstrong, et al., 2015). The concept of slow fashion as put forward by
Forbes is essential for bringing forth a positive change n how consumers utilize product in the
domain of fashion and apparel. Slow fashion can bring competitive advantage to firms. In a
globalized world, sustainable approach and recycling of cloths can only stay if the production
process is not lapse. Forbes has predicted that it is definitely a coherent way of attaining local
sustainability (Asdrubali et al., 2015). Fashion industry has been undergoing adverse impacts
on global environment. H&M in recent times has introduced its sustainability program which
is known as the “Conscious Action’ whereby increased rate of job opportunities in
developing or less-developed nations are being generated, along with increased level of
recyclable resources that are used in production as well as consumers are well-informed to be
improve the sense of ethics and principles (Chow & Li, 2018). Furthermore, H&M
experiences a considerable number of threats and challenges across the sustainable supply
chain strategy (Watson et al., 2017). The company being one of the significant brands with
global recognition is suitably representative to evaluate the recycle strategy or sustainable
fashion distribution chain.

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The approach should be infused with aesthetic pleasure and responsibility from the
end of customers’ while at the same time maintaining the rights of the workers’ (Zamani et
al., 2015). In the opinion of the company’s CEO, sustainability should be invested in the
entirety of the production including the delivery, assortment and packaging of the recycled
product. The final outcome would be 100% green product operation and sales (Jung & Jin,
2016). The best outcome can be achieved after a thorough analysis of consumer buying
decisions and motivation. It should not be simply concentrated o a particular class of
consumer making recycled product a luxury but cater to the rapidly growing consumer
population that should be integrated in the field of eco-friendly market (Meanmber & Joy,
2017).
Interview Conducted with H&M employees regarding Recycling Program
The experience that I have gained while visiting H&M has shown me the innovative
side of textile recycling. I saw the creation of something unique and vivid from discarded
materials.
Primary information gathered over telephone interview: The chief spokesperson of the textile
recycling unit of H&M was quoted saying that “the growing pile of textile waste has paved
Sustainable Development and Recycling

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the avenue of recycling and creation of uniquely designed products by offering discount
voucher”.
How is your experience of working in H&M?
Mr. Jones (Store manager): “we work 9 hours a day and my job is sorting apparels and
evaluating its recent initiatives related to recycled clothes”
Our company has been encouraging global initiative in order to reduce the pessimistic
impact of the fashion industry on environmental factors. Our initiative of collecting garments
has been effectively encouraging our consumer base to bring their old yet wearable clothes or
even damaged clothes and apparels in return for store discount vouchers. We are considering
it as a closing system and firmly believe in establishing a process of circular economy for
producing and utilizing new garments. Furthermore, hand in used or other discarded clothes
and textiles are donated and customers receive a 15% reduction vouchers for their next
purchase.
It is significant to note that the business organization under consideration here
provides 15% discount to the customers who oft for the recycled products offered by the
concerned business organizations. The concept of recyclable goods have gained a
considerable amount of popularity in the recent times and it is a reflection of this particular
fact that the business organization is taking the help of this particular policy to attract a larger
number of customers to the products offered by them (Arrigo, 2018). Furthermore, in the
recent times it is seen that the concept of ethical consumerism has gained much prominence
among the various customers and they have become concerned about the manufacturing
process used by the various business organizations for the manufacture of the products
offered by them to the customers. Therefore, the business organization under consideration
here takes the help of this changing trend in the buying behavior of the customers to increase

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the amount of annual profit gained by them (Kant Hvass, 2014). Thus, it can be said that this
particular offered by the concerned business organization has dual role, firstly they help the
business organization under consideration here to contribute in a positive manner towards the
cause of the environment and at the same time it also helps to cater to the changing
requirements of the customers. Therefore, it would be apt to say that this product is likely to
improve the prospects of the concerned business organization in a significant manner.
According to reports, the textile industry contributes around $1 trillion globally and
therefore can create a huge difference in the outlook of the consumers towards textile and
production. One of the manufacturers who as intricately associated with the production of
recycled textiles expressed that the citizens of U.S have grown more sensitive towards the
environmental crisis and lack of resources. They have opted for recycled products and have
therefore gave way for an improved skill in environmental action strategies amongst the
manufacturers.
Recycled Products at Global Level

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One of my friends has opined that New Jersey has reached heights after creating the
record of keeping one million pound of trash away from landfills globally. At this juncture it
is the responsibility of the government to encourage and generate the functioning of these
industries and provide fund to improve the machines used in the production of recycled
clothes. Certain textile brands do not adhere to the traditional norm of advertising and instead
channelizes the money into the production of organic apparels.

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References
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Asdrubali, F., D'Alessandro, F., & Schiavoni, S. (2015). A review of unconventional
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Meanmber, L. A., & Joy, A. (2017). Fashion in consumer culture. Routledge Handbook on
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