H&M and Primark respond to evolving markets survey and stress 'zero tolerance' for waste

A recent survey by the nonprofit Changing Markets Foundation questions the state of recovery of clothes.

Using 21 Apple AirTag IDs, the Dutch nonprofit traced immaculate garments, including coats, trousers and jackets, through major programs such as H&M, Zara, C&A, Primark, Nike, The North Face, Uniqlo and M&S. The locations covered Belgium, France, Germany and the UK only. Extra items were donated to a Boohoo recycling program.

Given the scale of clothing waste, even the best efforts have failed, according to the study. The program's slogans suggest that customers help "Closing the loop", as it does for H&M or "Completing the loop", according to The North Face.

The majority, 76%, (16 out of 21 garments) were either destroyed or left in warehouses or exported to Africa for disposal, which is a growing human rights and waste crisis. The pants donated to M&S were scrapped within a week. The joggers donated to C&A were burned in a cement kiln. A skirt donated to H&M traveled 24,800 kilometers from London to a wasteland in Mali, allegedly thrown away. Three items ended up in Ukraine, where import rules were relaxed due to the war. Only five items, about a quarter of the original 21, were reused in Europe or ended up in a resale store.

"We take the findings presented in the survey very seriously and are humbled that us and our previous partner in this case failed to meet our own high standards," an H&M spokesperson told WWD. "We agree with the report that this is a major issue in our industry and in others, that discarded products are not disposed of properly and become waste in different countries."

Responding to accusations in the inquest, the spokesperson added: "As the investigation was carried out, our clothing collection partner was still I:Collect.Since January 1, 2023, Remondis has taken on responsibility as the operating partner of the H&M group's clothing collection program on a global scale. With this change we have also ensured that all clothing collected in the UK is now sorted in Europe.”

Remondis is a 50-50 joint venture with H&M. H&M's clothing collection program was established in 2013. Since then, the group has made 17 investments in circular fashion start-ups, including textile-to-textile recycling company Renewcell. The brand said it has a "zero tolerance" policy for textiles becoming waste in its agreements with its partners and underlined its commitment to more regular follow-ups.

Primark also provided clarity, in a statement. “Our take-back program is run by Yellow Octopus, textile recycling specialists with a no-landfill policy and together we take a number of steps to ensure clothes donated through the program are handled responsibly. “, according to Lynne Walker, director of Primark cares. "We believe the hoodie has been treated as it should have been and is at a clothing retailer in Budapest, Hungary."

Since launching in 2020, Primark has set up collection boxes in stores across the UK, Ireland and Austria and Germany. As part of Yellow Octopus' Upcycle Labs, the program would use textile waste to create household products such as soap dishes, vases and candle holders. Earlier this year, Primark launched its Circular Product Standard to make clothes more sustainable.

In its summary, Changing Markets stated the Commission...