Swedish clothing retailer H&M is joining forces with artist and singer M.I.A. for the company’s latest global initiative World Recycle Week with a new music video and an ambitious global Garment Collecting activity. During the period, H&M aims to collect 1,000 tonnes of unwanted or worn out garments from customers worldwide in its more than 3,600 stores. The initiative is part of H&M’s goal to close the loop in fashion, recycling unwanted garments to create recycled textile fibres for new products, the company said in a press release. To raise awareness, M.I.A. has filmed an exclusive new music video for H&M highlighting the environmental impact of clothes going to landfills around the world. The video will debut on April 11 at hm.com. Garment Collecting at H&M is simple and can have a profound effect. Since 2013 customers have been invited to bring any unwanted and worn out garments and textiles, from any brand and in any condition, to any H&M store. By doing so they ensure less garments go to landfills and, in return, will receive vouchers to use at H&M. Since H&M first launched Garment Collecting in 2013 the company has collected over 25,000 tonnes of clothing and two years ago H&M introduced its first new garments that used recycled textile fibres, important steps in closing the loop in fashion. To mark the first World Recycle Week, H&M aims to collect more textiles than ever before through its on-going Garment Collecting initiative. Alongside the video by M.I.A., bloggers and characters from the video will film rehaul clips, showing the pieces they are recycling through the H&M Garment Collecting project during World Recycle Week – meaning the opposite of haul where you upload a video showing items recently purchased. Close the Loop is a central commitment of H&M’s Conscious Actions for sustainability. The aim is to create a closed loop for textiles, so that unwanted clothes can be reused and recycled to create fresh textile fibres for new products.
