April 17, 2026
H&M — this is not a story about a perfect brand. This is a story about how a system changes.
Change in fashion rarely looks the way we imagine it. It doesn’t begin with a single breakthrough, a single statement, or a single season that transforms everything overnight. And yet, this is exactly what the public often expects — immediate results, clear declarations, simple solutions. The reality is far more complex, and far less spectacular. Meaningful change takes time. Sometimes three years, sometimes five, sometimes an entire decade. What was set in motion in 2015 may only now begin to show visible results. Because sustainable fashion is not a decision. It is a process.
A system, not a declaration
There is no moment when a brand can simply announce: “from today, we are sustainable.” Behind every such statement lies a system — complex, layered, and filled with dependencies that are invisible at first glance. It is a puzzle made up of hundreds of processes and thousands of decisions. Production, materials, energy, logistics, supplier relationships — each of these elements must operate simultaneously, and every change must be tested, monitored, and gradually implemented. Because if only one part is addressed, the rest of the system can easily hold the entire transformation back.
99% of the problem lies beyond the brand
In H&M’s case, the biggest challenge does not sit within stores or offices. Around 99% of emissions are generated within the supply chain — in factories that are not owned by the brand but form part of a vast global production system. H&M works with over 1,000 Tier 1 factories, managed by hundreds of independent suppliers. This is a distributed structure that cannot be changed through a single decision or a single initiative. And that is precisely why transformation in this area is both the most difficult — and the most critical.
Less coal, more change
The most meaningful changes are not always the most visible ones. They rarely take the form of a product or a campaign that can be easily shared. Sometimes, they are defined by what quietly disappears. The number of factories using coal boilers dropped from 118 in 2022 to just 10 in 2025. This means that out of more than 1,000 partner factories, only a small fraction still relies on coal. It is not a headline that dominates attention — but it is precisely this kind of shift that drives real emission reductions and reshapes the direction of the industry.
Recycling is only part of the story
In conversations around sustainable fashion, everything is often reduced to a single word: recycling. Yet the reality is far more nuanced. At H&M, 32% of materials are recycled, marking a significant step toward reducing the use of virgin resources. At the same time, 91% of materials are either recycled or sustainably sourced, reflecting a broader transformation in how materials are obtained and processed. “Sustainably sourced” includes certified cotton, responsibly sourced wool, and lower-impact alternatives. The shift is therefore not simply about replacing one material with another — it is about rethinking the entire system of material sourcing.
Innovation begins beyond the brand
In fashion, it is easy to assume that change starts with the product. Increasingly, however, its origins lie elsewhere — in research projects, startups, and emerging technologies that may take years to reach scale. H&M supports these initiatives through the independent H&M Foundation, which funds innovations with the potential to reshape the entire textile industry. Through the Global Change Award, solutions that go far beyond conventional fashion thinking are recognised — from lab-grown cotton to microbial dyes and next-generation recycling systems. Since 2015, 56 teams from 23 countries have been awarded, highlighting that transformation is not the result of a single decision, but of a long-term commitment to building new solutions. Not all of these ideas, however, can be implemented at scale immediately. Many remain in development — promising, yet constrained by systemic realities: lack of infrastructure, limited technological scalability, or the readiness of factories and suppliers to adopt new approaches. This reveals one of the central tensions of contemporary fashion — the gap between innovation and the ability to implement it globally. And yet, does the foundation step back in the face of these challenges? Quite the opposite. What becomes visible here is a form of consistency that rarely makes headlines — sustained support for ideas that may seem distant today, but could become foundational tomorrow.
Reduction happening in the background
While innovation builds the future, real change is happening simultaneously — in numbers that rarely make front pages. H&M has reduced its supply chain emissions (Scope 3) by 34.6% compared to 2019, with a year-on-year reduction of over 760,000 tonnes of CO₂e. In absolute terms, this represents a reduction from 7,442,000 tCO₂e in 2019 to 4,865,000 tCO₂e in 2025 — a decrease of 2,577,000 tonnes of CO₂e. In its own operations (Scope 1 and 2), emissions have decreased by 41% compared to 2019. This translates into a reduction from 71,473 tCO₂e in 2019 to 42,170 tCO₂e in 2025 — a total decrease of 29,300 tonnes of CO₂e. These figures reflect reductions compared with the 2019 baseline, rather than cumulative reductions “since 2019,” as year-by-year emissions would not have remained constant without intervention. It is also important to note that these science-based targets do not include use-phase emissions. These are not numbers that translate easily into a single image or slogan, but they reflect the scale of transformation unfolding behind the scenes.
Change that isn’t immediately visible
One of the greatest challenges of sustainable fashion is that its results are neither immediate nor always visible. They cannot be contained within a single season or reduced to a single message. It is a process — gradual, complex, and often unfolding outside of public attention. And that is precisely why it is so easy to overlook.
Is it enough?
Is having only 10 factories still using coal a lot — or very little?
Is 32% recycled material enough?
Does 91% sustainably sourced material truly represent transformation?
There is no single answer.
Our animation will show you the scale — and perhaps, even then, you may still feel it is not enough. But there is another question worth asking: if a company of this size, operating within such a complex and distributed system, is able to move forward — step by step, process by process — does that not offer a certain sense of hope? Because when giants begin to change, others may follow.
And if enough of them do, perhaps that light at the end of the tunnel is not so distant after all.
author MARGARET DZIERZEGA
All animation created by Numero Switzerland