Better Health for All

The company has a catastrophic safety record in its supply chain, with over 250 garment workers dying in the Ali Enterprises fire 10 years prior to a 2026 article, and over a dozen deaths and 30 serious safety incidents in Pakistan in the 18 months prior to that article.

Workers reported blocked exits, explosions, and exposure to harmful substances. The Ali Enterprises factory was certified 'safe' weeks before the fire. This indicates substantial access barriers to safety for vulnerable garment workers. While H&M has strong chemical restrictions for consumer products, including bans on BPA, PVC, and asbestos, and comprehensive food safety compliance , the production of its core goods has severe negative health impacts on workers. Risk transparency is mixed, with a high Fashion Transparency Index score (71% in 2023) but also misleading labeling of its 'Conscious Collection' and the failure of the Ali Enterprises safety certification. The company's community engagement contributions of SEK 169.6 million in 2023 represent approximately 0.07% of its revenue, indicating token health equity programs. During public health emergencies, the response has been reactive, with a lack of a binding safety agreement for factory disasters, despite policies for worker health during the Coronavirus pandemic. The company faces significant health-harming externalities from its production processes, but has substantial mitigation efforts, including a 41% reduction in Scope 1 & 2 GHG emissions and a 24% reduction in Scope 3 GHG emissions from a 2019 baseline , and a 54% reduction in plastic packaging from a 2018 baseline. H&M provides extensive support for its own employees' health, including medical, dental, vision, healthy pregnancy programs, and an Employee Assistance Program , along with dedicated staff and training for supply chain workers. Preventative health measures include chemical restrictions , pesticide reduction efforts , and employee health check-ins. However, there were 6 substantiated complaints concerning breaches of customer privacy in 2024.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

Hennes & Mauritz AB (H&M) is a clothing retailer, and its core business does not involve lending, insuring, moving, or storing money for consumers.

The company does not offer consumer credit products, manage customer financial data, or operate as a financial institution. Therefore, all KPIs related to financial services, such as underserved client share, pricing fairness, exploitative fee exposure, inclusion initiatives (loan/insurance book), data accessibility (customer finance data), fair lending compliance, wealth building outcome, profit reinvestment (community finance), financial literacy initiatives, debt burden ratio, geographic inclusion (financial service access points), and product simplicity (financial products), are not applicable to H&M's operations based on the provided evidence. While H&M engages in various social and sustainability initiatives, these do not fall under the scope of financial services as defined by the rubric.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

H&M Group requires all suppliers and business partners to sign and comply with its Sustainability Commitment and Code of Ethics, covering 100% of contracts.

Most findings from investigations are remediated within two weeks, which is 14 days. The company has initiated the process for tracing over 200 million pieces on the TextileGenesis™ platform, with approximately 44 million pieces fully traced as of 2022. While H&M publishes a monthly supplier list for 99% of products from tier 1 suppliers, it aims to disclose 100% of fabric dyeing and printing locations, and is piloting Better Cotton traceability, but does not provide a percentage of suppliers mapped beyond tier 1.

No War, No Weapons

H&M Group's Responsible Raw Material Sourcing Policy, effective March 28, 2022, details a commitment to responsible sourcing practices, including human rights considerations and environmental protection.

This policy mandates internal due diligence processes, supplier training, and tracking of progress, with suppliers required to sign a Sustainability Commitment. The company conducts human rights due diligence across all operations, with results publicly available in its sustainability report. H&M Group's policies are aligned with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and OECD Guidelines. The company's 2024 Annual & Sustainability Report details risk assessments, including those related to geopolitical uncertainty and supply chain disruptions. However, the report does not specify the frequency or public availability of war-related supply chain risk audits. While the company has a code of ethics and policies, there is no specific evidence of codified 'red lines' banning conventional arms or other weapons categories. The company's reports consistently state that metrics related to arms, defense contracts, dual-use technology, sales to embargoed regimes, peacebuilding investment, conflict divestment, board oversight of defense, export end-user certificates, lobbying on arms control, AI military safeguards, controversial weapons, annual conflict partner reviews, defense divestment, conflict minerals, peace tech investment, and surveillance transparency are 'not applicable' to its business as a fashion retailer, or no specific data is provided.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) has faced multiple cultural appropriation incidents. These include controversies over faux-feather headdresses in August 2013, a South African ad campaign in 2015, and a 'monkey sweatshirt' ad in January 2018.

The company's response to these incidents varied; for the 'monkey sweatshirt' ad, an apology was issued and the item was removed, while the faux-feather headdresses were removed from the collection without an apology. The 2024 Annual & Sustainability Report does not mention cultural appropriation incidents, nor does it provide specific data on the effectiveness of cultural incident response frameworks.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

In 2024, H&M Group directed 95% of product waste and 93% of packaging waste from its own operations for reuse or recycling.

The company achieved a 54% decrease in plastic packaging volume compared to its 2018 baseline. In 2024, 84% of packaging materials were recycled or sustainably sourced, with 52% of packaging materials being recycled. For products, 29.5% of materials used in commercial products were recycled in 2024, with a target to reach 30% by 2025 and 50% by 2030. The company aims for 100% recycled or sustainably sourced materials by 2030. H&M Group collected 17,100 tonnes of garments through its in-store program in 2024, with 66% directed for reuse and 24% for recycling. Pre-owned offerings are available in 26 markets and 38 stores globally. The company uses a Circulator Tool to support product teams in creating durable and recyclable products and has updated circular design guidelines. Supplier requirements include waste reduction, recyclability, and chemical management.