Tests in several countries have apparently been successful. The H&M Group wants to ship products from its various brands in paper packaging across the board in future.
Plastic is one of the biggest challenges in the fashion industry.Says H&M, and it's not wrong. It is found in clothing with polyester and is used for hangers, tags, bags and shipping bags. In packaging, plastic is sometimes used to protect some products and to minimise waste, which makes it even more difficult to replace.At least for shipping, the fashion giant has now found a solution.
Paper packaging for all brands
In its distribution centres in the Netherlands, the UK, Sweden, China, Russia and Australia, the H&M Group has sent millions of parcels to customers as part of a test for more sustainable packaging solutions. A cross-brand packaging system with bags made from certified paper was developed for this purpose.
So far, the new packaging solution has been introduced for customers of COS, ARKET, Monki and Weekday.The H&M brand has started to implement it in selected markets. In the coming months, more and more paper packaging will be used, reaching an even larger group of customers around the world. In early 2021, the &Other Stories brand will follow suit and ship its online orders in recyclable paper packaging.
„We are introducing a type of packaging that is better for both the customer and the environment. It still needs to be improved as we need to continue to work on replacing the use of plastic throughout our logistics supply chain. But with the introduction of this new multi-brand packaging, we are creating a big impact by replacing the outer plastic with a paper solution. This is a small step on a long journey“
Hanna Lumikero, responsible for the new packaging system at the H&M Group.
Better branding possible
Most materials, apart from the products supplied, become waste when they reach the customer.The aim of this new solution is to reduce the risk of this waste being generated.In addition, the branding labels now allow the different brands to have a more relevant advertising message, while the bags have a cleaner and nicer appearance. This in turn prevents the packaging from being labelled with outdated messages.
Paper as part of a circular strategy
The packaging solution is intended to help the H&M Group achieve the goals of its circular strategy for packaging. This includes reducing packaging by 25 % and developing reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025 at the latest. The fashion group sees itself in line with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's New Plastics Economy Global Commitment as well as the Fashion Pact and the Canopy initiative Pack4Good and has led to the H&M Group removing most of its plastic shopping bags in the brand shops and replacing them with a certified paper version.
Together with other measures, this has contributed to a reduction in plastic packaging of 4.7 % in 2019, which corresponds to more than 1,000 tonnes of plastic.The implementation of the new packaging pilot brings the H&M Group closer to achieving these targets
Source: H&M Group
