H&M'S CLOTHING DONATION DRIVE: A SMALL STEP THAT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE

By: Prachi Khatri

Fashion is ever-evolving and as new trends emerge, people constantly want to upgrade their wardrobes to keep up with the latest styles. But what happens to the old clothes that take up space in closets? Unfortunately, most people throw them away, contributing to the fashion waste that fills up landfills and causes damage to our planet.

Textile waste is one of the world’s fastest-growing environmental problems. According to reports by The Global Fashion Agenda, 92 million tonnes of textile waste are produced globally. This is equivalent to a truck full of clothing being dumped in a landfill every second. Clothing production has also doubled over the years. According to the data on the United Nations Environment Programme website, the duration of a garment's usage has decreased by 36 percent.

Credit: H&M Website

‘Buy, wear, discard’ has become the most challenging part of the fashion industry and most importantly, for our environment. Hence, donating matters more than we know. Every garment has the potential to extend its life; a dress that no longer fits you might become someone’s favorite buy. Whether you are transitioning from colors to neutrals or upgrading your style, every second-hand piece has a place in someone’s wardrobe.

One realtor brand that is acting on this positive change and encouraging people to donate their unused clothes is H&M. H&M’s Garment Collection Program lets people donate their clean clothing from any brand to its participating stores in exchange for fifteen percent discount vouchers to use towards a future purchase. The terms may vary from country to country; however, it's one of the easiest ways to donate old clothes to their designated collection boxes.

Starting the drive in 2013, H&M became the first fashion company to launch a global collection initiative to enable customers to become a part of the circularity journey. Since 2013, H&M has collected 172,000 tons of pre-loved clothing. Through sorting, reselling, and recycling, these garments are given a fresh life to extend their wear.

According to the H&M website, once the customer drops off their garments, all collection bins are transported to be inspected for quality, to check the condition of the garment, and for resale potential.

H&M partnered with Remondis in 2023 to launch an independent company known as Looper Textile Co. to help facilitate reuse and recycling. Looper Textile provides local retailers with solutions on how to extend the life of these items. As per H&M’s reported data, approximately 65% of the collected items were sold as second-hand clothing. Wearable items are categorized into more than 200 categories to maximize the likelihood of reaching a customer.

Credit: Kate Trysh / @katetrysh

An important fact to note is that approximately 23% of the items that do not fit the resale category are repurposed for cleaning clothes and insulation. Only 2% are recycled into new textiles using advanced technology, with potential to go up to 10% in the future with consideration of the many ongoing innovations happening in this category. The remaining 10% that do not fit any category are let go or discarded, prioritizing energy recovery.

Many customer testimonials and TikTok users have been quoted describing the entire process as “fairly easy." Many users reported that it's one of the most convenient and useful programs, as H&M has thousands of stores online and is easily available in most major cities around the world.

The program's success does not just come from discount vouchers that customers can use in stores but also from the fact that it's keeping tons of clothes away from trash. Every damaged cloth can be transformed into a cloth for cleaning, producing recycled fabric, or insulation material, rather than just ending up in your garbage bins. Institutes like H&M's garment collection program encourage people to think differently about clothing disposal and save our planet from textile waste. By simply following the three R’s, "reduce, recycle, and reuse," we can not only benefit ourselves but also save our planet.

Cover Image: Fernand De Canne / @fernanddecanne