WWF and H&M Group

How we work together

Water

Due to the textile industry’s freshwater challenges WWF and H&M Group has since the start of the partnership in 2011 been working together to improve water management in some of the worlds most stressed river basins. We have done this by working with Water Stewardship. 

Water Stewardship is a five-step model creating incentives to act on water use through engagement, better management and governance to protect the resources, species and nature. The Water Stewardship journey involves learning, acting, doing and improving.

Since 2011, WWF and H&M Group have been working according to WWF’s model for Water Stewardship using the five-step approach, targeting suppliers, staff, consumers, governments and other stakeholders. The work has involved developing H&M Group’s and their value chain’s water management as well as focusing on collective action and influence governance on the ground in countries such as China, Bangladesh and Turkey. The partnership has also included support for WWF’s water conservation projects in the Yangtze River basin. As H&M Group continues to develop the organization’s water practices, the main focus of the partnership is now on expanding the collective action and influence governance for a more sustainable textile industry across the globe, together with other companies, policymakers and civil society.

H&M Group both uses and contributes in the development of the WWF Water Risk Filter, an online tool that enable users to explore, assess, and respond to water risks. H&M Group regularly assess the water related aspects of their value chain of apparel & textile production including dyeing and washing processes through the Water Risk Filter. The overall water risk indicated by basin and company, for each of the business partners facilities of H&M Group, steer and guide to specific actions according to H&M Group’s Holistic Water Strategy to address the challenges.

Milestones and Results

• Collective action plans for water risk mitigation are being set for all H&M Group production offices in water risk areas.
• Advocacy & communication for SDG 6; the partnership calls global fashion brands to join a movement for defining textile industry best practice on water stewardship, globally.
• Supported development of new function within the WWF Water Risk Filter that enables companies to quickly develop contextual water stewardship responses to their water related risks any basin.
• Water awareness training for 75000 staff (from production office employees as well as sales and design functions).
• Cleaner production program trained 2,636 workers in 270 production units across Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, India and Turkey.
•  Developed Cleaner Production Guidelines for the textile industry in Turkey.
• Water and chemical management standards were improved in over 500 suppliers, in the H&M Group Value Chain.
• Connected 100 % of the direct suppliers and fabric mills involved in making 60 % of H&M Group’s products to supplier assessment systems through Higg FEM.
•  Established a ground-breaking industrial park project in China, aiming to bring social, economic and ecological benefits to participating suppliers and the surrounding ecosystem. Long term, the project will serve as a model for similar industrial park areas.
• Indicators for basin health monitoring was developed for Taihu basin in the Yangtze river, contributing to the survival of the endangered river porpoise and more sustainable practices used by farmers in the river basin.
• Engaged policy makers for more sustainable water management in Bangladesh, with particular focus on creating and supporting a water governance work stream within the platform of 2030 Water Research Group.
• Read our three-part series on water and textiles. Part I explores the touchpoints of water along the industry’s value chain, while Part II unpacks water risk and opportunity for key apparel clusters. In Part III, we outline WWF’s vision for the textile sector, how we are working to mobilize others to scale solutions.

Video: Our Work on Water Stewardship

How we work together

BIODIVERSITY

Biodiversity underpins all life but is declining worldwide. There is a growing need to protect it, and the textile industry – with its impact on nature -has an important role to play. In 2016, the partnership started a strategic dialogue, where biodiversity became in focus through projects on materials and circularity. In 2020, the strategic dialogue evolved into a biodiversity stream with the ambition to reduce H&M Group’s overall pressures on biodiversity and to strive towards net-gain impacts.

The strategic dialogue was initiated in 2016 to explore H&M Group’s and the textile industry’s broader sustainability challenges and possibilities. The partnership worked in the three areas of raw materials, innovations and policy & advocacy.

Shifting Focus to Biodiversity

During 2020, the partnership decided to replace the strategic dialogue with a new stream focusing on biodiversity. This was a natural step as biodiversity, besides being at the core of WWF’s mission, is strongly affected by the textile industry; in processes such as raw material production and sourcing, garment design, transportation and customer use. For H&M Group, raw material sourcing is where the company has its largest impact.

In September 2020, H&M Group launched an ambition for biodiversity, developed with the support from WWF. H&M Group has taken a holistic approach to manage its impact and dependence on biodiversity. The long-term ambition is to have a net positive impact on biodiversity.

Ambition Going Forward

During the current phase, 2021-2025, H&M Group and WWF are working to further develop this ambition, including working on projects to prevent and reduce the H&M Group Value Chain’s overall impact on biodiversity and natural ecosystems. One such example is a regenerative wool production partnership project to promote responsible grazing, rangeland biodiversity, and habitat restoration in South Africa’s Drakensberg grasslands. Another focus is to support the protection and restoration of biodiversity and natural ecosystems in line with what science requires.

Milestones & Results (Strategic Dialogue)

• Improving H&M Group routines when sourcing selected raw materials, such as bamboo and rattan.
• Strengthened H&M Group’s forest raw material policy, including increasing FSC certified products.
• Supporting a pilot project for more sustainable rattan production in Indonesia, keeping forests standing while supporting biodiversity and providing business opportunities to the local community,
• Taking first steps to develop a definition of climate positive together with IKEA.
• During 2017 and 2018, WWF and H&M Group advocated together with other companies, for stronger regulations on energy efficiency and renewable energy in the EU.
• Goal of H&M Group: to use 100 percent recycled, or other sustainably sourced materials, by 2030 at the latest.
• Supporting the development of H&M Group’s biodiversity ambition that takes a holistic approach to manage the Group’s impact and dependency on biodiversity. Released in September 2020.

”A thriving fashion industry is undeniably dependent on healthy ecosystems and climate change kept within safe planetary boundaries.”

Cecilia Brännsten, Environmental Sustainability Manager H&M Group

Video: Our work on Biodiversity

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