H&M, the Swedish multinational clothing retail giant is planning to launch a pilot test of online sales of secondhand clothing on the company’s & Other Stories website in Sweden. If the pilot is found to be successful, the company will extend the concept to other brands and markets in coming years.
The past several years have seen a major shift in consumer choices towards sustainable products. The stigma around old used clothing has long gone to be replaced by awareness of the fast fashion’s environmental cost. Now, the biggest clothing retailers such as H&M joining the secondhand movement will help propel the change.
Head of sustainability at H&M Anne Geddes said that the new move by the company is aimed at tackling the growing concerns among consumers about the disastrous impact of fast fashion on environment. Geddes added that the pilot is a whole circular vision, the secondhand clothing retail opens great opportunities for consumers both in terms of its reduction in environmental impact and extension of product’s life.
The fast fashion industry seems far from slowing down but the environmental impact of the sector are hard for consumers to ignore. In addition to having a huge environmental impact, the industry counts among the largest global consumers of water. Fashion’s Dirty Secrets, a BBC Documentary described the fast fashion industry as one of the most polluting industries in the world.
There are several issues which need similar attention such as the origin of designs for the clothing and where it is being produced. The Swedish clothing retail giant has taken several initiatives to lower its ecological footprint. H&M managed to increase the use of sustainably sourced and recycled materials to half of its products in just one year, which is 35% increase from the previous year. H&M plans to use only sustainably sourced oor recycled materials for its products by 2030.
The secondhand clothing market is expected to grow to $51 billion, almost double the current value, within the next five years, according to a study conducted by ThredUp, an online thrift store. In addition to this, H&M is incentivizing customers in-store to recycle clothing. The shopper can get a shopping voucher for every clothing donation made to the H&M Store.