Next time you shop at H&M, make sure to read the fine print. The Swedish retailer announced a new online feature that will allow customers to be more informed about where their purchases came from.
H&M is introducing what it calls a “transparency layer” to the product descriptions on its website. It provides additional information about where its merchandise, from clothing to home goods, were made—like “production country, supplier names, factory names and addresses, as well as the number of workers in the factories,” according to a press release. If you’re shopping at an H&M store, you’ll be able to access this information through the retailer’s app: Scan the tag on the item you’re looking at, and it’ll show you all those details. Though it’s not yet available on every single one of its products, the feature is rolling out this week.
“We want to show the world that this is possible,” Isak Roth, head of sustainability at H&M, said in a statement. “By being open and transparent about where our products are made we hope to set the bar for our industry and encourage customers to make more sustainable choices. With transparency comes responsibility, making transparency such an important factor to help create a more sustainable fashion industry.”
An early version of this “transparency layer” was introduced on H&M’s Conscious Exclusive collection, its sustainable line, in 2017, per the AFP. According to Inc., H&M now joins brands like Nike, Adidas, Levi’s, Patagonia, and Timberland in being more transparent about their supplier lists with consumers.
