H&M improved its carbon efficiency by 16 percent and reduced its total greenhouse gas emissions by 4 percent in 2014 compared to 2013, the company reports in its Conscious Actions Sustainability Report 2014.
Having met its its goal one year early to reduce total emissions while growing its business, the fashion retailer is now looking at ways to reduce its CO2 emissions even further by increasing its investment in renewable electricity sources.
Currently, 27 percent of H&M’s total electricity comes from renewable sources — a 9 percent increase against 2013. By the end of 2015, the company aims to source renewable electricity wherever it is credibly available and feasible, meaning about 80 percent of all electricity.
Total electricity use per square meter of store space is down 12 percent compared to its 2007 baseline. By 2020, H&M’s target is to reduce electricity use by 20 percent compared to 2007.
In 2014, H&M collected 7,684 metric tons of garments for reuse or recycling through its in-store garment collection program, an increase of 4,637 metric tons. It also introduced its first pieces made with 20 percent recycled cotton from collected clothes. For 2015, its target is to increase the number of pieces made with at least 20 percent recycled fabric from collected garments by more than 300 percent compared to 2014.
The share of H&M stores that have recycling systems in place grew to 58 percent in 2014, compared to 56 percent in 2013. H&M fell just short of its 2014 goal to recycle 95 percent of the waste generated at its warehouses, primarily because it entered new markets with less developed waste management and recycling systems.
This is the 13th report published by the fashion retailer.
Last year, H&M committed that by 2017 its fabrics will not coming from ancient and endangered forests.