From Vogue Business folks’. I mean yes fashion brands are making commitments to sustainability. All to boost consumer trust and attract talent while reducing risks of boycotts and litigation.
However, the H&M Foundation was created. I mean a non-profit organisation backed by the founders of the H&M Group. For it is looking to boost the industry’s use of recycled clothing material with a new hydrothermal recycling machine. About time!
As I said and truth is companies could be doing more. That came also from London College of Fashion’s Matthew Drinkwater. In addition to taking greater ownership over their supply chains. As well as 3D design, 3D sampling, 3D prototyping and artificial intelligence. It can help cut down on waste.
In two decades, the H&M Group has grown from a medium-sized European retail chain to the second-largest garment company in the world, producing approximately three billion items per year to sell across its 4,800 stores. But a recent drop in sales (paywall) and profits has forced the Swedish giant to face its structural issues, including a production process which led to $4.3 billion of unsold clothes in early 2018.
I say what they won’t do unless they let me handle it through my consulting co. They should shred, recycle and reuse into new product. Everything that can be recycled. Every article of clothing and plastic and bamboo and everything. Start even at landfills and oceans too.
Why?
Because in 2011 I wrote:
Cotton is the world’s largest non-food crop, estimated at 166 million bales in 2007[i] which currently include the use of pesticides and fertilizers. Even if you use organic cotton, you still have the issues of land use, water consumption, energy and chemistry which are used to turn cotton fiber into fabric. According to John Otsuki, other natural fibers such as hemp and bamboo may not require water usage, they need even more processing which means more energy.
Millions of tons of plastic are recycled using the #1 every year called PET and is the most recycled plastic on earth. Recycled PET or RPET, have the potential harvest of billions of pounds of material per year. It is free and locally generated.
Recent innovations have created processes to use the plastic bottles and make micro-fiber, performance fabrics and fleece. These yarns are now 100% recycled polyester. By using recycled plastic instead of new petroleum, over 60% of the energy is saved without any additional harm to the environment[ii]. No other fiber is produced with less impact.
There is why?
In conclusion, H&M and all ya’ll clothing stores. Besides your models the system is dead. I mean finally just so damn dead and needing help. Call me! You need help!
Billie Eilish Goes H&M Vegan Line
Finally, this just in on Veg News but H&M Foundation also recently launched a sustainable clothing line. All under its Divided brand designed by vegan singer Billie Eilish at its locations worldwide. Thereby mimicking the loose-fitting silhouettes Eilish prefers to wear. This 16-item line (priced between $5.99 and $34.99) is made from sustainably sourced, non-animal-derived materials and includes T-shirts, bucket hats, belt bags, beanies, sweatshirts, and socks all printed with Eilish logos.
“Billie Eilish is obviously an inspiring artist, but also someone a lot of people around the world admire for her personal style and empowering way of expressing her values,” Emily Bjorkheim, H&M’s head of design for Divided, said. “We want to enable her fans to step into her world and feel empowered to freely express their style as well.” In 2019, Eilish became increasingly outspoken about the damaging effects of animal agriculture on the environment and often used her social media platforms to urge her fans to go vegan. In March, the 18-year-old singer will embark on her Where Do We Go? world tour where she has banned plastic straws and called upon attendees to bring reusable water bottles.
