April 18, 2016

H&M + WORLD RECYCLE WEEK

Retail giant H&M is spearheading the green initiative, World Recycle Week, to spread awareness about the serious impact of the fashion industry on our environment.

World Recycle Week 2016 launches on April 18th and runs through April 24th.

During the week-long campaign, H&M aims to collect over 1,000 tons of unwanted clothing and textiles being accepted at any of their 3,600 worldwide locations. Once collected, the garments and textiles will be sent to one of H&M’s sorting plants where they’ll either be sold in second hand stores, reused in clothing or furniture, or recycled into new fabric.

Globalization and the demand for “fast fashion,” has caused the environmental impact of the clothing industry to skyrocket over the years. The varied supply chains used to create clothing adds to the profound impact that the fashion industry has on our environment: the use of raw materials, textile manufacturing, apparel design, clothing construction, production, shipping, retail, use, cleaning, and ultimately the disposal of the garment. In the United States alone, we throw away over 11 million tons of textiles each year.

Luckily, fashion companies like H&M are getting involved and using their resources to do what they can to begin to address the serious environmental issues affecting our planet. In 2013, H&M became the first fashion retailer to launch a global garment collection initiative with the goal of closing the loop on fashion, so that nothing goes to waste in the process. Since launching this initiative, H&M has collected over 25,000 tons of unwanted clothing.

To help spread awareness of World Recycle Week, H&M has teamed up with music icon M.I.A., who recently released a video for her song “Rewear it" that draws attention to climate change and social consciousness.

*H & M stores are offering discounts to anyone who drops off their clothing and textiles during World Recycle Week.